Contents September 16, 2021
20
A NEW & HORRIFYING LOW Evander Holyfield, 58, can barely stand up against Belfort in diabolical spectacle
UNMISSABLE
>> 4 WORST CASE SCENARIO
36
HIGHLIGHTS
>> 6 YOUR SAY
End the exhibitions before it’s too late
Reaction to a shameful boxing event
>> 12 RONNIE AND ROY
>> 8 MAGIC OF THE DEBUT
Davies and Jones will train Eubank Jnr
A much-needed feel-good story
>> 14 MAXI HUGHES
>> 16 TRIBUTE TO AN OLYMPIAN
Talking to Britain’s own Cinderella Man
Remembering Brian Packer
>> 32 IN HIS OWN WORDS
>> 17 COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
Mark Prince on the lessons he learned
A welcome return to the boxing calendar
>> 36 COTTO-FOREMAN
>> 20 ÓSCAR VALDEZ WINS
Hauser reflects on the events of a fight that still bother him to this day
But where does it leave the sport?
>> 22 YET ANOTHER THRILLER
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Ringside in Coventry for Sam Eggington
>> 42 AMATEUR SCENE New support available to boxing clubs
>> 44 SCOTTISH HEAVYWEIGHTS Why can’t Scotland produce a champ?
>> 46 TOM AITCHISON ‘Some of the journeymen are amazing’
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SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 l BOXING NEWS l 3
EDITOR’S LETTER
Stop this grisly exhibition Holyfield’s miserable showing is a warning of a worst case scenario we cannot ignore
Cover photography CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
XHIBITION can mean different things. It can mean a public display of items of interest. It can mean a display of a skill or quality or emotion. In boxing, it essentially means that anything goes. It means that regulations do not exist. It means that Matt common sense Christie will not be applied. @MattCBoxingNews It means that 58-year-old men Editor can be pummelled by younger men, and it means, in perhaps the only nod to an acceptable definition of the word, people will watch. Ryan Kavanaugh and his Triller outfit – who staged Vitor Belfort vs Evander Holyfield in Florida – have no place in boxing if this is how they plan to move forward. I don’t care how many new eyes they bring to the sport. In last week’s issue, Kavanaugh admitted, almost proudly, he doesn’t know a great deal about boxing. He admitted that he has seen a gap in the market that he plans to exploit. The gap, I’d argue, is caused by big fights consistently falling out of bed, by the best not fighting the best, by too many belts and in turn too much confusion. So Kavanaugh had two options. One, he could attempt to negotiate the unnegotiable politics of boxing in an effort to create the kind of fights that would immediately close that gap or, two, he could invite impressionable faded retirees, with proven box office appeal but without contractual obligations to promoters or broadcasters, and create the illusion of marquee contests. From his point of view, it was a no-brainer. In defence of his business plan, he tells us that these old warriors are getting paid exceptionally well. But creating this new precedent, which essentially says it’s okay for boxers who long ago realised they shouldn’t be boxing anymore to come back and take more punches, is not just irresponsible, it’s deadly. Boxers retire, rarely because they want to, but because they know they’re not the same anymore. They are conditioned from an early age to
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4 l BOXING NEWS l SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
accept they cannot fight into old age. They retire, often begrudgingly, because they know there is no other option for them. Yes, boxing history is littered with boxers fighting too long and those who come back at advanced ages, but never before has there been a platform like this. More and more, retired fighters are talking about coming out of retirement. Fighters that not so long ago would have dismissed such a notion. ‘Well, if it’s an exhibition,’ they’re now saying, ‘just a harmless little exhibition, then it’s okay.’ But it’s not, is it? We should forever be in debt to yesterday’s heroes, the warriors who gave this sport everything. We should look after them, not wreck them some more. And that duty of care includes ensuring they do not fight again, even if they want to. Blame Triller or Ryan Kavanaugh for dreaming up this grisly spectacle. Blame the copycat promotional groups who have announced similar events involving the likes of Riddick Bowe and others. But the buck, at least on this occasion, has to stop with the Florida Athletic Commission (FAC). It was initially reported that Belfort-Holyfield would be a sanctioned bout. Certainly, the fighters approached it as such. Afterwards we hear, ‘Relax, it was just an exhibition.’ Garbage. What is perplexing, and deeply concerning, is that Holyfield was permitted to get in the ring by the FAC just eight days after being drafted in as a replacement for 48-year-old Oscar De La Hoya. The original site of the event was Los Angeles. That changed to Hollywood in Florida when the California State Athletic Commission rejected the notion of Holyfield stepping in. Tell me this: How could the commission in Florida, in the space of two days (from De La Hoya pulling out to Holyfield being confirmed as his replacement), possibly have carried out the required physical and mental tests to ascertain that Evander was in a suitable condition to fight? Well, they couldn’t and they didn’t. It was clear in fight week that Holyfield, though unquestionably ambitious, was trapped inside a damaged body. Anyone who knows even the slightest thing about boxing –
like, it involves punches being thrown – could see that Holyfield should not have been anywhere near combat of any kind. This was a man who was deemed a danger to himself many years ago, after all. Holyfield is one of the greatest of them all. From the moment he beat Dwight Muhammad Qawi in a gruelling yet glorious 15-round war in 1986 he forged a reputation as a warrior. Even without seeing him today, even without watching him struggle to move his feet while attempting to hit pads, even without listening to him talk or even without examining his brain, it should be crystal clear that a fighter who engaged in gung-ho battles with Qawi, Michael Dokes, Bert Cooper, George Foreman, Riddick Bowe, Michael Moorer, Ray Mercer, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis in the last century has no place fighting in the 21st year of the next. Enough is enough. One hopes that, somehow, Holyfield looking horrendous but emerging unscathed – at least to the naked eye – is a blessing in disguise. That all those fighters who have recently declared their intention to come back watched one of the most miserable spectacles in sporting history and remembered exactly why they retired. Because if they don’t realise and boxing exhibitions are allowed to remain in their current form – essentially, the exhibiting of old men taking punches to the head – the sport that stages them is on the brink of a catastrophe that will not only kill a fighter, it will kill boxing. This is not hyperbole. Not some overzealous opinion. It is a fact. We all know young and fit boxers are always at risk of death inside the ring. So, surely, we must also know that risk is substantially higher when applied to the old and worn out, whose brains are more susceptible to serious injury. And when an old and worn out boxer dies, when their brain bleeds or their heart gives out, nobody will call it an exhibition. It will be an execution. One that boxing will never, ever, recover from.
WHEN AN OLD WORN-OUT BOXER DIES IT WON’T BE AN EXHIBITION, IT WILL BE AN EXECUTION
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DISGRACEFUL: Holyfield should never have been allowed into the ring Photo: DOUGLAS P. DEFELICE/GETTY IMAGES
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LETTERS
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LETTER OF THE WEEK
DO SOMETHING BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE IT’S been a truly horrendous few weeks for boxing. A fighter is allowed to box despite not passing a PED test. Then hot on the heels of that, the legendary Evander Holyfield is bashed up in a round by a UFC fighter who was 1-0 as a boxer. What people don’t understand is fighters will still want to fight, even when they’re 90. It’s up to those with sense within the game to prevent it. Before the Holyfield debacle David Haye went eight rounds with a ponderous, slow nightclub owner who is also his close friend. And then called out Tyson Fury. Boxing feels like the Wild West. These snake oil salesmen – fighters and promoters – looking to make a quick fortune? How many of them would give a nuanced, reasoned argument in defence of the sport if there was a death during one of their PPV cards? The noble art is currently in disgrace. Somebody needs to do something. Derek Bilton
RELEGATED TO THE CESSPIT MY original thoughts regarding the Triller freak show featuring Oscar De La Hoya (before he was replaced by Evander Holyfield) and David Haye were that it was going to be nothing more than a squalid cash grab from a grubby organisation. The last-minute inclusion of Donald Trump as ‘commentator’ has finally relegated the Triller set-up as being far worse than my original opinion. Why anyone thinks that seeing these once fantastic, but ageing fighters, punching for pay while someone as imbecilic and clueless as Trump waffles his idiocy over their struggles has finally, in my opinion, relegated Triller to the cesspit. I write this the night before the event takes place, so confident am I that our worst fears will be realised. Shame on everyone involved in this disgraceful event. Chris Kyle
HATS OFF TO CHANNEL 5 WHAT a brilliant night of boxing on Channel 5 on Friday night. Sam Eggington vs Bilel Jkitou was a toe-to-toe war and a fight of the year contender. On the undercard Moussa Gary was unlucky not to win a round on the ref ’s scorecard as he came to win, and certainly wasn’t just there just to make up the numbers against Stephen McKenna, who must have learned plenty. All that on terrestrial TV and not a YouTuber in sight, hats off to Channel 5. LJ Rees DITTO... What a fantastic scrap we had with Sam Eggington and Bilel Jkitou on Channel 5! One of the best bouts of the year. This shows that sometimes it’s not the big boys like Sky Sports and BT Sport that have the best fights. Little Channel 5 gave boxing fans an epic night. Thank you! Patch Hammond
BRUISING: Eggington wins another rip-roaring encounter
Photo: RYAN PIERSE/GETTY IMAGES
6 l BOXING NEWS l SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
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10 COUNT THE PANEL
HOLY WATER
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO STOP FIGHTERS LIKE EVANDER HOLYFIELD RETURNING TO BOXING?
To help wash away the image of a 58-year-old Evander Holyfield being destroyed inside a round by a mixed martial artist, here are 10 of his best wins 1. MIKE TYSON I If it wasn’t for James “Buster” Douglas upsetting Mike Tyson, this would be considered THE Mike Tyson upset. Regardless, Holyfield bullied the bully for much of this November 1996 classic before putting Tyson out of his misery in the 11th round.
Paul Smith Ex-British champion If you retire over the age of 30, you can’t come back or get your licence unless you tick this box, that box, or do this test, that test. The medicals must be more stringent. There’s no aftercare. There should be a PFA for boxers where they can get looked after, where they’ve got access to insurance and pensions.
Dave Coldwell Leading trainer The promoters shouldn’t put them on. The main thing for me is the TV execs that make the decisions on what goes on, why can’t they turn round to the promoter, because it’s their airtime, and say we’re not airing that?
Micky Helliet Manager & promoter Broadcasters, sponsors or companies connected to or supporting events like that should be exposed and shamed. Holyfield was clearly in no shape to be in a boxing ring. He’s earned millions and should not be in the position in which he found himself.
Tony Jeffries Olympic medallist I’m hoping that fight was enough for this not to happen again. This was one of the worst things I’ve seen in boxing.
Dave Coldwell He’s got undoubted power. But it’s very hard in that division. You can get excited about somebody and then they step up and you see their weaknesses completely exposed. So I’m not sure, I’ve not seen enough of him at a good enough level. I still see him at that untested level.
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Micky Helliet I’ve been a massive fan of Hrgovic since seeing him edged out in one of my all-time favourite amateur fights against Joe Joyce. He uses his height, reach, head movement, awkwardness and thundering right hand to great effect. I’d be amazed if he doesn’t at least fight for a belt.
3. DWIGHT MUHAMMAD QAWI In this July 1986 slugfest, Holyfield was forced to win his first cruiserweight belt the hard way when pushed to the limit for 15 rounds by an aggressive Qawi. 4. GEORGE FOREMAN Foreman, 42, was on the comeback trail when Holyfield outpointed him in April 1991. The win, not hugely appreciated at the time, grew in stature when Foreman regained the world heavyweight title three years later. 5.MICHAEL MOORER II Moorer had stripped Holyfield of his heavyweight titles in 1994, when outpointing him over 12 rounds, but was ruled out by the ringside physician after eight rounds in the pair’s rematch three years later. Moorer was down five times in all.
HOW FAR DO YOU THINK FILIP HRGOVIC CAN GO IN THE HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION? Paul Smith I do rate him, I think he’s very good. Hrgovic has definitely got those tools and attributes. He’s got the power, he’s got the frame and size. He’s got a good team behind him. It’ll be about how he’s matched and how he comes through.
2. RIDDICK BOWE II Bowe and Holyfield combined to produce one of the greatest heavyweight trilogies, with Holyfield winning the second fight of the three – and his heavyweight championship back – in November 1993. Holyfield remains the only fighter to officially defeat Bowe.
Tony Jeffries He looks the real deal but it’s hard to say exactly how far he can go as he hasn’t fought top class opposition. We need to see him fight someone like Tony Yoka, Otto Wallin or Dillian Whyte to get a better answer.
6. BUSTER DOUGLAS Unfortunately, Douglas showed up out of shape against Holyfield in October 1990 and was dealt with easily inside three rounds. 7. MICHAEL DOKES Done with cruiserweight, Holyfield ventured to heavyweight in 1988 and had his first proper test against the still dangerous Michael Dokes in March ’89. It was a test Holyfield passed with flying colours. 8. CARLOS DE LEON Eager to complete the set before moving to heavyweight, Holyfield won his third and final cruiserweight strap when he halted the underrated De Leon in April 1988. 9. BERT COOPER Many viewed Holyfield’s 1991 struggle with ‘Smokin’ Bert as evidence he would be destroyed by Mike Tyson as and when they met. With hindsight, this is one of Holyfield’s most thrilling wins at heavyweight. 10. ALEX STEWART I Again, another harder than anticipated bout at the time. But Stewart, then 24-0, gave it everything only to find Holyfield had significantly more, winning a forgotten thriller in eight rounds in 1989.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 l BOXING NEWS l 7
THE BUNCE DIARIES
VICTORY SECURED: Woolridge celebrates after an eventful day Photos: MANJIT NAROTRA/ MSN/BCB
8 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
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THE DEBUT N Walsall last Sunday, the medics went missing, one fighter fell over at a swimming pool, one had Covid, one vanished and still the show went on. Three local fighters sold the tickets and that added to the intimacy. Well, that and a long delay in Steve a venue with bars Bunce as bookends and @BigDaddyBunce fans desperate for a Voice of boxing good time, a laugh, a dance and a fight. They seemed to get everything they wanted. It was that type of day and night. The medics arrived, the first bell finally edged ever closer and sectioned off near the toilets and the bar, the three losers were gathered in a huddle behind a flimsy screen. They finished the night with one win and two defeats on points and that is not a bad return. In a room behind the bar, the three winners shared a space. Ryan Woolridge sold over 140 tickets and his people were waiting and singing and happy. It was his professional debut, just 20 and looking a lot younger and fresher. He looked like a choirboy, a tall one and one with his fists bandaged and an eager look on his face. In the room at the back, the noise out front was a steady hum. The wait continued for the medics to arrive. Ryan was calm. His mother and father were outside on the tables, walking and talking. His mum, Jo, had taken her shoes off long before her boy entered the ring for his first pro fight. How is he? I asked her. “He’s not nervous, he can’t wait,” she replied. That was true at 4.30pm but by 6.30pm, he was getting a bit edgier. Behind the temporary wall in the other dressing room, I found Kearon Thomas. He was relaxed, a veteran of 16 fights, a man of 32 and in a tricky position. He was the opponent. “Yeah, I know Ryan,” he said. “He’s a nice lad, I’ve seen him in the gym.” Kearon, like Ryan, was on home soil and that should always be a concern when an opponent is arranged for a kid making his debut. Kearon was not going to hide in the ring, not going to run – he was not going to make his
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Late on Sunday evening, after a long wait for the doctors and an impromptu party, a 20-year-old made his pro debut debut in Walsall
POLISHED PERFORMANCE: Woolridge [left] acquitted himself well in his pro debut
night easy. There was a lot of pride, the type of detail that the raw statistics blissfully ignore. “He will know he’s been in a fight,” Kearon added. Ryan put his gloves on before the first bell of the first fight. He was third; out went Andy Owen and he was beaten by Hungarian veteran and notable hardman, Norbert Szekeres. Next, another debutant, Ethan Collins, won over four rounds against Paul Cummings. It was Ryan’s turn next. “He’s exactly how I want him,” said Peter Hickenbottom, the coach at the Great Wyrley club; Ryan was just 14 when he walked through Peter’s door at the club. “He was made for the pro game; he lost a lot of tight decisions because of his style,” Hickenbottom added. Kearon was in the ring first, to a few pantomime boos. He actually nodded to a few of the people on Ryan’s six tables. They all knew each other. Ryan took the walk to the ring and it was a very intimate walk. “I could see all the faces and hear their voices,” he said. If he had been on at 6pm in a big arena, he would have had no idea that about 140 of his friends and family were hollering, screaming, welling up and taking deep breaths to calm their nerves. Those fans on those tables lived every second of the four rounds; they
threw every punch and took every punch. It was exhausting standing near them. And a lot of fun. Kearon was, as expected, running solo. Ryan was smiling in the ring, bouncing in his new boots as Hickenbottom removed the bright new gown. Nobody was sitting down. Kearon looked over at one point and smiled and then the bell sounded. Ryan was relaxed, he was not joking. He refused to get involved, refused to fight Kearon’s fight and stuck to a sensible jab. It was polished; during the last few weeks I have watched far too many highlyrated prospects follow their opponents all over the ring, throwing dumb punches in hope and all the time the men in front of them were happy. Ryan boxed, he used his feet and brains. It was a smart debut. Kearon Thomas lost for the 15th time. “He was talking to me, telling me ‘stand and have a fight’,” Ryan said when he was back in the dressing room area. “I ignored him. I just stuck to my boxing.” Ryan’s hands were sore, he seemed a bit shocked by that. It’s what happens when you hit a hard, hard man like Kearon for four rounds. Kearon walked in, a bit bruised, but not damaged and started to laugh. “I was trying everything to get him to stop moving and fight – he was not having it. I couldn’t outbox him. ‘C’mon Ryan, let’s have a fight’, I kept saying, but he ignored me.” It was a wonderful exchange. “Where you all going now?” Kearon asked. “The Beacon” Ryan replied. “OK, see you there.” You can’t invent this stuff, mad. I followed Kearon out of the area and asked him about Ryan. He was impressed with his calm, his patience. Kearon is right. Ryan is very tall, the strength will come, the calm is natural. Kearon Thomas fights again in Cardiff in two weeks. Ryan Woolridge wants to be out soon and promoter, Errol Johnson, will make sure that happens. Ryan’s fans went off, happy and some shoeless for a Sunday night to remember at the Beacon. Ryan went to the celebration but he never drinks. “Boxing is my life, that’s it really,” he said as he left. The debut was over.
HE REFUSED TO FIGHT KEARON’S FIGHT AND STUCK TO A SENSIBLE JAB
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 9
BOXING MEDIA REVIEW
Examining the best and worst of the sport’s weekly coverage
FREAK SHOW Holyfield getting bashed up at the age of 58 made for depressing viewing, writes George Gigney as he reviews a busy weekend of live broadcasting
BROADCASTS BOXING has a fairly extensive history with freak shows, but in recent years they’ve come thick and fast. Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor. The Paul brothers boxing retired mixed martial arts fighters. And so on. But we’ve now crossed a line. A 58-year-old Evander Holyfield being stopped in one ground by former UFC fighter Vitor Belfort wasn’t just a freak show, it was a circus with John Wayne Gacy making balloon animals. It was never a good idea to replace Oscar De La Hoya, who had contracted Covid-19, with Holyfield but it became an obviously grotesque one when footage of Evander hitting the pads emerged from the public workouts. Physically, he looked in terrific shape for his age but it was clear he should’ve been
10 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
COMMENTARY: Donald Trump’s involvement wasn’t even the worst part Photo: CHANDAN KHANNA/ AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
nowhere near a boxing ring. His punches were laboured, his joints stiff. In interviews, his speech was slurred and some of his sentences trailed off into nothingness. Yet still, Triller and the Florida State Athletic Commission were all too keen to throw him in with Belfort. The fight itself was stopped mercifully quickly, though that didn’t prevent some of the commentary team protesting the referee’s decision and claiming the debacle should have been allowed to go on longer. That Donald Trump – the 45th President of the United States of America – was involved in that commentary team wasn’t the worst part of the broadcast speaks to the disturbing nature of Triller’s event.
Those involved were propping the main event up as something to be savoured, a legitimate boxing fight that people should part with their money to watch. It was diabolical, a new low for boxing. How can the sport be taken seriously when outfits like Triller continue to put on broadcasts like this? The only positive is that Holyfield wasn’t seriously hurt. It also emerged that, according to sources tapped by reporter Dan Rafael, the contest was contractually agreed to be an exhibition, but this was not how it was packaged by Triller and, more importantly, not how either combatant approached battle. David Haye also appeared on the bill, outpointing his friend (yes, really)
IT WAS DIABOLICAL, A NEW LOW FOR BOXING
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Joe Fournier over eight rounds. He then called out Tyson Fury, who he was supposed to fight in 2013 before an injury ruled him out. Haye is a master salesman who insisted he would only continue boxing if a fight with Fury emerged, though he was also sure to aim a few pointed digs at Belfort during his post-fight interviews, rightfully claiming Belfort had no reason to celebrate in the exaggerated way that he did after beating Holyfield. Don’t be surprised if Triller tries to make HayeBelfort. Over on ESPN+, Oscar Valdez was granted a disputed decision over Robson Conceição, capping off a week in which he tested positive for the banned substance phentermine. The fight was clearly very close and Conceição deserved a lot more recognition on the judges’ scorecards than he eventually received, though part of the issue was how biased the commentary was towards Valdez. Andre Ward and Timothy Bradley in particular were adamant Valdez had bossed the fight and throughout the action were quick to praise any sort of success the belt-holder had, while failing to highlight the effective work of Conceição. Commentary is not an easy job – it’s certainly a lot harder than many fans realise – and there will always be
brief moments that get missed, but it happened so many times during this particular fight that one has to wonder whether it was intentional. Valdez is one of Top Rank’s most prominent names and was very much the ‘home’ fighter on Saturday night, so it’s not difficult to see why the broadcast would try to elevate his standing as much as possible, particularly after the week he’d had. There was, however, a broadcast worth praising over the weekend; Channel 5’s coverage of the gruelling tussle between Sam Eggington and Bilel Jkitou. Barry Jones on commentary summed it up perfectly; “It’s the sort of fight you love to watch but would hate to be in.” Eggington and Jkitou knocked lumps out of each other for the entire 12 rounds and it was an excellent spectacle that was available on terrestrial TV; a proper advert for the sport. While Eggington surely can’t keep being involved in brutal fights like this, he is almost always good value and deserves to fight in front of large audiences.
YOUTUBE Tyson Fury was in fine form when he sat down with BT Sport for an extended interview, covering a range of topics,
including his plans for the next year or so. Fury intends to beat Deontay Wilder in October before fighting Dillian Whyte two months later. He then plans to fight Anthony Joshua twice next year before facing Derek Chisora for a third time. You would have to go back a long, long time to find the last time when Fury was that active so it’s probably best to take his comments with a pinch of salt, though it is interesting that he thinks any Joshua fights would only happen next year. Other than that, he seemed in good spirits and full of energy, which is surely a good sign heading into his trilogy bout with Wilder.
WEBSITES Billy Joe Saunders told talkSPORT that he still intends to retire from boxing, unless a second fight with Chris Eubank Jnr gets signed. It’s still unclear what the long-term effects are of the eye injury Saunders sustained against Canelo Alvarez, but if he is medically fit to fight then a fight with Eubank Jnr makes as much sense as any other. That being said, the hope is that Saunders does not take that fight purely for the money. We’ve seen how that goes far too many times already.
BIASED: Commentators failed to highlight Conceição’s efforts
Photo: MIKEY WILLIAMS/TOP RANK
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SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 11
NEWS AND OPINION
OY JONES JNR was due to arrive in Hove on Tuesday (September 14) to put the final touches to Chris Eubank Jnr’s preparation for his October 2 bout with Sven Elbir at Wembley Arena. Waiting to greet Roy at the seaside gym will be 75-year-old Ronnie Davies, a veteran trainer who has guided Eubank through his professional career after doing the same with his father many years ago. When talking to Boxing News, Davies was quick to point out that he remains an important member of Eubank’s team. He was absent from the corner of Junior’s 10-round points victory over Marcus Morrison in May, leaving some to conclude that Davies’ services had been dispensed. “Not true,” Davies told BN with a smile. “I hurt my neck and back when I fell off a ladder and I could not travel from the south coast to Manchester. I couldn’t sit down for that long. But I was involved beforehand and now I’m fully recovered, I’ll be working the corner with Roy in October. I’m still managing Eubank’s training camps from start to finish.” Davies admits that he did question his future in the sport during lockdown. Eubank Jnr stayed in America with Jones Jnr when it became clear that gyms were not open in the UK. “I’ve got the buzz again,” Davies explained. “During lockdown my attention drifted away from boxing when I couldn’t go to the gym every day. I started to get bored, I lost some interest in the sport. Junior was out in America and I thought that was the end of that. I thought I was going to walk away from the sport and I kind of gave up on it. “Then I got a call from Anthony Brown at the gym. ‘You’ve got to come back, Ronnie, we need you.’ That helped me. Junior wanted me back and here we are again. Starting over, with new ambitions. I feel just as ambitious now as I did 30 years ago.” Thirty-two years ago, Davies watched Junior come into the world. “I was outside the room with his father when he was born. I heard him cry for the first time and it was a loud, piercing cry. I looked at Senior and I said, ‘I can’t
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FAMILY HISTORY: Davies has been there since Junior was born Photo: BRYN LENNON/ GETTY IMAGES
imagine he’s going to grow up to be a fighter with a cry like that.’ I was wrong wasn’t I?” Davies made his name with Eubank Snr and Eubank Snr made his with Davies. The pair remain close to this day. Davies is a former Southern Area lightweight champion and retired at the age of 23 in 1970. He went on to become one of the most knowledgeable and respected trainers in Britain. As well as the Eubanks, Davies has worked with several top fighters like Howard Eastman, Tony Oakey and Mark Baker. Working with the Eubanks has been a challenge but one that Ronnie, looking remarkably fit, has enjoyed. Junior remains the same stubborn boxer as he’s always been but Davies can see new maturity in his charge. “He has mellowed somehow, at least out of the ring. But inside that ring, whether sparring or in a fight, he has that same intensity. He is still looking for the spectacular but when he’s boxing, he’s natural and strong, the combinations he can throw remain as impressive as they’ve always been. He’s always been a terrific fighter. “He doesn’t always listen,” Davies joked. “Or at least he won’t immediately show he’s listening. So I tell him something and then, a week or so later, you’ll see he had been listening after all because he’s
suddenly doing what I told him to do a week before. “But it’s all about growing a fighter’s confidence. Being a trainer isn’t about fancy routines on the pads, or trying to reinvent the wheel, they were taught all the fundamentals when they were younger. So you develop them. And when it comes to fighting, too many trainers like to think they can change the course of a fight when the truth is there’s only so much we can do at that stage. Everything has to be in place before. “It’s just as important to ensure they have complete peace of mind. I did exactly the same with the old man as I do with Junior; I look after all the medicals, organise the sparring, ensure he’s there on time for training, ensure he doesn’t leave it all in the gym. Check and double check that everything is in place so the boxer’s only concern is boxing and that he will be peaking in the fight, not in the gym. That was always difficult with Senior, and it’s the same with Junior, they always want to go at 100 miles-per-hour.” Will it be strange to work with Roy Jones Jnr, one of the legends of the sport and someone who was once a potential rival to Eubank Snr? “It’s a funny old sport,” Ronnie said. “I’m very much looking forward to meeting Roy and working with him. Junior clearly has complete respect for him, and perhaps he needed someone like Roy Jones Jnr for that. Junior tells me Roy is old school like me, that we’ll get on. As long as Junior is happy and in the right place mentally, so am I. It’s a very important stage of his career now, we all know that.” Big fights against the likes of Gennady Golovkin will be targeted for Eubank if he can get past Elbir in an event that will be showcased as a new era for Sky Sports Boxing. “It’s fitting that Junior is one of the stars on Sky Sports, 30 years after his father was. It will be great to be around Johnny Wish [ John Wischhusen] and Adam Smith and those guys again. “We were all a bit younger back then though weren’t we?”
‘WHEN HE’S BOXING, HE’S NATURAL AND STRONG... A TERRIFIC FIGHTER’
Old school values Ronnie Davies remains a crucial component of the Chris Eubank Jnr business as he prepares to welcome Roy Jones Jnr to the Hove gym, writes Matt Christie
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STILL AMBITIOUS: Davies is excited to be starting over Photo: MIKE HEWITT/ GETTY IMAGES
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SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 13
NEWS AND OPINION
THE LONG GAME: Hughes knew his time would come, if he waited long enough Photo: MATTHEW POVER/ MATCHROOM
Maxi’s Time British boxing’s latest Cinderella Man, Maxi Hughes, says showdown with Devin Haney is ‘a stone’s throw away’, writes Elliot Worsell
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AXI HUGHES didn’t know when his time was going to come. All he knew was that it was going to one day come and that he would have to remain patient and improving until that day arrived. “I remember one of my old amateur trainers, Dave Croft, who is no longer with us, saying to me once, ‘You’ll have your time,’” Hughes told Boxing News. “Every time I came up against an England squad lad in the championships, usually in the quarter-finals or semis, they would always get the decision after a close fight. I used to get some disgusting decisions go against me back then and that’s when Dave would say to me, ‘You will have your time. Whether it’s in the amateurs or the pros, you will have your time.’ Now I know what he means. I am having my time now.” Unbeaten since losing a 10-round decision against Liam Walsh in 2019, Hughes, 31, is currently riding an impressive five-fight win streak which includes the scalps of Jono Carroll and Patrick Hyland, against whom he won the British lightweight crown. Eager for more, last time out in Leeds, Hughes pitched a masterclass to outpoint Mexico’s Jovanni Straffon over 12 rounds. “It was a very special night,” Hughes said. “Everything just went to plan. Everything I had practiced and visualised came off. Maybe it could have gone better if I’d got him out of there in the fifth, but I was happy enough to win every round. “As long as I stayed switched on and did everything I was supposed to do, it felt comfortable in there. That was how we trained. If you prepare for a certain type of fight and then the fight doesn’t go that way, your opponent does something different, you can be surprised. But I didn’t have any of those surprises on the night. Jovanni was everything we expected and everything we had prepared for, so I just had to continue doing what I’d been doing in training. It went as expected.” The same could be said for Hughes’ career. After all, despite various ups and downs along the way, the level-headed Yorkshireman has always believed in playing the long game and has always believed his patience would finally pay off. “I think it’s down to perseverance, hard work, and dedication,” he said. “I’ve had my setbacks but it’s never deterred me or affected my motivation and desire. I suppose it’s not knowing anything else. I’m a family man, I work, and I box. That’s pretty much all I do, so I wasn’t ready to throw the towel in after the first sign of setback.
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BOSSING IT: Hughes exploits the gaps in Straffon’s defence Photos: MARK ROBINSON/ MATCHROOM
am naturally an introvert and quite shy, and back then I’d never done interviews or spoken up at press conferences in front of people. “What was going through my mind in those first couple of rounds was this: don’t do anything stupid and don’t make a mistake because you’re live on telly. That shouldn’t be the mindset of a fighter fighting for a title. I think I was mentally fragile and inexperienced. The fighter that I am now, I’ll talk a glass eye to sleep. Nothing really fazes me now in terms of boxing.” Certainly, these days Hughes seems to possess a fearlessness that is often the by-product of not only winning fights but losing fights, too. He has, for better or worse, now seen, experienced, and felt most things in a boxing ring. He knows what danger looks like and he knows how to keep himself safe in such moments. He also knows, at 31, exactly what he wants going forward. “The main one I want is the Devin Haney fight in America,” Hughes said. “I’d love to get that fight and add the WBC “Eventually, when you work so hard at [lightweight] title to my collection. That’s something, something good will come of the dream I’ve got at the minute and I it, I believe. That’s what’s happening now. don’t think it’s too far away, either. I’m getting my reward for my hard work. “I got tagged in something by Bill “I think back to the fighter I was when Haney, his dad and manager, and they I fought Scotty Cardle eight years ago. It were obviously watching (Hughes’ most was my first fight on Sky Sports and I’d recent fight). My name is in their mouth never experienced anything like that. I now and Bill Haney, in this interview, said that is a fight they would like. It’s a fight that’s nearly there. “I got laughed at when I won the WBC international [title] and said I wanted Devin Haney. But now look at what’s happened. I just keep getting better and better. It’s no longer a laughing issue. It’s a stone’s throw away from being reality.” A master of winning fights he is expected to lose, Hughes, 24-5-2 (5), has every reason to be confident going into a fight against Haney, be it this year or next. Moreover, TOLD YOU SO: it is also worth remembering It’s all coming this: just as very few people together for will pick him to beat Haney Maxi Hughes should the fight get made, even fewer would have predicted Maxi Hughes to be here – winning titles and fully deserving of that fight – back when he was losing against domestic opposition only a few years ago. “I’ve watched him and I follow his YouTube channel,” Hughes said of Haney. “He’s becoming a big, big star. When you mention Devin Haney, even your casual fan knows who he is. He’s a good, quick, flash boxer, but I back myself. As we’ve seen, I rise to the occasion every time and I’m continuously improving and have full trust in my trainer, Sean O’Hagan. It’s a fight I believe I can win. I fully believe I will go over there and upset the applecart.”
‘IT’S NO LONGER A LAUGHING ISSUE. IT’S A STONE’S THROW AWAY FROM BEING REALITY’
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 15
NEWS AND OPINION
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BRIAN PACKER, 1944-2021 NEAR THE END: Packer poses in his orginal Olympic blazer that he was given in 1964
Matt Christie pays tribute to the 1964 Olympian
FIFTY-SEVEN years before Team GB excelled at the Tokyo Olympics, Brian Packer represented his country at the 1964 Games in the very same city. The world was different then, so too the sport of boxing that Packer thought long and hard about giving up, so crushing was the disappointment of losing a close decision to eventual bantamweight gold medallist Takao Sakurai of Japan in the first round. Packer, who grew up in Northfleet, passed away last week at the age of 77 after a 13-year battle with dementia. He had also endured a quadruple heart bypass. By the end, he didn’t always recognise his beloved June, his wife and sweetheart since he was 16 years old. In the early days of his career, he would get up at 4.30 every morning, go for a five-mile run, then cycle to his job as an apprentice welder at Chatham Dockyard, run again at lunch before clocking in for his second job as a nighttime factory worker. Packer endured this gruelling routine to provide for his family and to pursue his dream of reaching the very top of the boxing world. He was selected for the European Amateur Championships in 1963. His bosses at the time initially objected to him taking part, expressing concern
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that it would clash with the City and Guilds examination he needed for his apprenticeship. He eventually made it to Russia after signing the Official Secrets Act due to the possibility of him working on nuclear submarines at his workplace. Packer, too, was apprehensive about the trip; it was the first time he had ever flown and he was worried about the food he would be served in another country. He lost his first and only bout in Moscow to Czech Jaroslav Šlajs at 54kgs, the same division in which future lightweight king Ken Buchanan also went out at the preliminary stage (to Reiner Poser). Packer, who won ABA titles at bantamweight in 1963 and 1964, turned professional despite his Olympic disappointment, winning 14 of 15 contests between 1965 and 1968. His sole loss was unfortunate, withdrawing due to a cut eyebrow in the fourth of a scheduled eight against Winston Van Guylenburg inside Shoreditch Town Hall. The high point of his 14-1 (6) professional journey came in 1967, when he defeated Carl Taylor to win the
Southern Area bantamweight title. It has been reported that a freak accident at work curtailed his boxing career in 1972, despite there being no record of him being an active boxer at that time. At the damages case, in which he was awarded £8,500, his counsel told the judge that Packer was preparing for a bout with view to challenging for the European super-bantamweight title. At the time of the accident Packer was keen to get to the gym above the Thomas ‘A Becket pub in Old Kent Road where he was training. Packer started boxing at the age of 11 and joined Dartford ABC a year later under the guidance of Dick Wemban, June’s uncle. Brian and June, who married in Gravesend, would go on to have four children, three sons and a daughter who between them would provide the couple with 11 grandchildren. His daughter, Jane, is adamant that her father’s dementia was caused by his boxing career and is actively campaigning for reform in the sport. “For over 40 years, Dad has suffered terribly from brain injuries he sustained during his career and the mental strain that being a boxer for GB caused,” she told Kent Messenger a few weeks before Packer died. “They should offer long-term support, especially to those in high-risk groups, like my dad.” Jane believes her father was suffering from the effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition that cannot be proved until a post-mortem is performed. “We need to fund research to ensure earlier diagnosis to help athletes,” she added. In 2012, ahead of the London Games, Packer nominated his granddaughter, Beth, to carry the Olympic torch as it made its long journey to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford. Beth had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumour on her kidneys as a toddler. “She’s far braver than I ever was as a boxer,” he said at the time. On Sunday September 12, Beth led a team in a fundraising 5k Memory Walk run by Alzheimer’s Society in support of her grandmother and Brian’s widow, June. Anyone wishing to donate can do so via justgiving.com/team/TeamPacker Ringside Charitable Trust have donated £350 to the Packers to help with the cost of his funeral. We are all thinking of the family at this difficult time.
‘WE NEED TO FUND RESEARCH FOR EARLIER DIAGNOSIS’
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NEWS AND OPINION
Fans of boxing history rejoice, the magical Boxing Memorabilia Fayre is back on October 9, writes Matt Christie
THE Boxing Memorabilia Fayre returns after a two-year hiatus on Saturday October 9. Sidelined by the pandemic in 2020, the event – which is organised by Kymberly and Chas Taylor – is set to make one of the most welcome comebacks of the year. The fayre is a genuine treasure trove for fans of boxing with books, photos, programmes, gloves, magazines, artwork and the weird and the wonderful all available on the day. It all began 22 years ago when Bernard Hart of Lonsdale hosted a tribute weekend and put on a banquet with several top fighters from America invited to appear. His wife Kymberly had the idea of staging the fayre in conjunction with that. “It was a success,” Chas tells Boxing News. “It hasn’t really changed from when it started. A lot of the customers are just like me: They’re collectors of boxing memorabilia and some have been to every single year. “People will come along looking for specific items. They might want a particular item or be interested in certain things, like lanyards or programmes. Half the fun of collecting is looking for something in particular. When you then find them, it’s even better. But people like to come and
browse, to have a beer and talk about boxing. It’s a great day.” Chas, now 83 (though he continues to defy time by looking significantly younger), has been involved in the sport since he was a youngster. He would attend fights with his father and was immediately hooked. The first contest he went to was in the 1940s, a bill topped by George Howard at Caledonian Road Baths. “I’ve still got the programme,” Chas laughs. His most treasured piece of memorabilia is the first Lonsdale Belt to be won in the light-heavyweight division (by Dick Smith) and one of just seven in existence that was made from solid gold. Another notable piece Chas has locked away safely is a book signed by James J. Braddock during his reign as world heavyweight champion. “He signed it with a fountain pen. And anyone who knows about autographs will tell you that signatures from fountain pens increase the value further. He signed it, Jimmie [not Jimmy] Braddock and he dated it. He was world heavyweight champion at the time.” He has more. Like the box that Jack Solomons used to transport boxing gloves to the ring. This box at one time held the
COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
WELCOME RETURN: Kymberly and Chas are delighted to be holding the fayre again
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gloves that would be worn in fights like Randy Turpin-Sugar Ray Robinson, Joey Maxim-Freddie Mills and Muhammad AliHenry Cooper. He owns Bruce Woodcock’s ABA trophy and the award the heavyweight picked up for Sportsman of the Year, in 1946. Hosting the fayre has seen Chas uncover many hidden gems over the years. He’s missed out on a few, too. “I’d wanted a signed photo of [former world middleweight champion] Marcel Cerdan for years. But someone beat me to it and bought it before I could.” Since the fayre began, boxers like Michael Watson, Nigel Benn, Steve Collins, Dave Charnley and Billy Walker have been known to attend. Audley Harrison promised to go along before he went to the Olympics in 2000 and threatened to cancel after winning gold. “Kymberly wasn’t having that,” Chas chuckles. “She called him up and told him that he’d made a promise. In the end he came along with his gold medal, which I thought was very decent.” Chas is well regarded in boxing circles. A former trainer who worked with Trevor Currie and John Moody, he was the house second at York Hall, earning praise from the likes of Terry Lawless for his attitude. A keen supporter of the Ex-Boxers’ Association, Chas is a member of six different EBAs and still attends fights, though he has started to grow a little detached from events today. “Television has taken over,” he explains. “I understand why but it’s not the same experience anymore. Sometimes the fans who have paid to be there, really and truly they’re just a studio audience. They should be let in for nothing. At some of the shows you can be waiting for an hour between fights to accommodate the TV scheduling. Again, I understand it but I don’t like it.” A London cabbie who has had everyone from Margaret Thatcher to Michael Caine in his taxi, Chas enjoys driving around London almost as much as he adores boxing. “I’m not chasing the money anymore, I just love it,” he says. “I love working and cabbing. I’ve been doing it for 53 years and I’ve no intention of stopping now.” And Chas and Kymberly won’t stop staging the wonderful memorabilia fayre. Which is great news for the likes of you and me. If you haven’t been yet, it really is a terrific place to spend a few hours exploring. To have a beer or two, to talk about boxing and, if you find a signed photo of Marcel Cerdan, let Chas know. For the Diary: Boxing Memorabilia Fayre, October 9, 1.30pm to 5.30pm, Dick Collins Hall, Redhill Street, London, NW1 4DJ. If anyone would like more information, or to have their own stand to sell items on the day, phone Kymberly or Chas on 01707-654-677 or 07956-912-741 or email kymberlytw@aol.com
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ACTION + + + + + O U T S TA N D I N G + + + + G O O D + + + FA I R + + D I S A P P O I N T I N G + RU B B I S H Re p o r t e r s ’ s t a r r a t i n g s fo r m a i n e v e n t s a n d u n d e rc a r d s a r e b a s e d o n i n - r i n g e n t e r t a i n m e n t , c o m p e t i t i v e n e s s a n d w h e t h e r o v e r a l l e x p e c t a t i o n w a s m e t
Valdez beats Conceição but surely the fight should not have occurred, writes Jack Hirsch
TUCSON, AZ S E P T E M B E R 10 +++++ MAIN EVENT + + + + + U N D E RC A R D
OU can put all the drug-testing measures you like in place but they are utterly useless unless strict penalties are enforced. Without punishment, the end result is nothing more than a facade, with boxing appearing to tackle a problem that, in reality, it isn’t. Of all the sports none is more lax than boxing in enforcing the rules against drug cheats. If certain boxing commissions oversaw other sports, Ben Johnson would have kept his gold medal at the 1988 Olympics. Cyclist Lance Armstrong’s Tour De France victories would have remained intact.
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Yet the doping problem not only remains in boxing, it is getting worse, because the consequences of getting caught are minor compared to the benefits of improving performances by using illegal substances. And worse yet, those caught are defended to the point where they become martyrs by those in a position of power. Perhaps Oscar Valdez, the WBC super-featherweight belt-holder, is telling the truth when he says he has no idea how traces of phentermine had gotten into his system, a substance deemed suspicious by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA). But we have been down this road many times before; athletes always claim innocence without doing everything possible to clear their names. We want to believe them, but realistically we can’t. The WBC essentially gave Valdez a free pass on the matter, their penalties no more than a slap on the wrist. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman is a decent
person who felt compassion for Valdez on the matter. The bottom line, though, is that he did boxing no favours by allowing Valdez to defend his belt against Brazilian challenger Robson Conceição. It sent the wrong message that a fighter is bigger than the sport. As did the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC), and promoters Top Rank, who were fine with Valdez being allowed to fight. ESPN commentators Bernardo Osuna, Timothy Bradley, and Andre Ward did an admirable job on fight night by not giving Valdez any slack in the matter. But the truth is that had ESPN taken a stand and not broadcast the fight, it would have had so much more of a dramatic effect than by just having its commentators condemn it. ESPN and other networks have been known to fire broadcasters for a slip of the tongue, yet overlook rules being circumvented when it comes to boxing. It is incomprehensible but true that boxing not only has multiple sanctioning
Rewriting the rules Photos: MIKEY WILLIAMS/TOP RANK
CONTROVERSIAL: Valdez [right] won but should he have been there in the first place?
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away from him in the ninth round when bodies, each with different rules, rankings he playfully tapped Valdez behind the and regulations, it also has different drughead during a clinch. But in the 11th testing agencies with different protocols. round when Valdez landed a substantially That lack of uniformity allowed Valdez to harder blow in the same area it resulted escape, essentially without punishment. in no more than a warning. Some, like VADA president Dr. Margaret Goodman, do work relentlessly to Over the first half, Conceição controlled highlight any misdemeanors but too the match from ring centre behind a stiff many boxing chiefs are not as keen to jab, but was taken out of his comfort zone punish them. in the later rounds and forced around The fight took place but if the Mexican the ring by Valdez. Although the decision was hoping for redemption he did not seemed just, the punch count totals get it. Valdez, boxing in front of his favoured Conceição substantially and adopted hometown crowd in Tucson, he was unmarked at the end. This was in started slowly but came on strongly in sharp contrast to Valdez whose face was the second half to win by unanimous battered and bruised. 12-round decision. Judges Omar Mintun Conceição felt he deserved the decision, and Chris Tellez scored it 115-112 (as taunting Valdez unmercifully in the ring did BN) and Stephen Blea tallied a more afterward, mocking him and not showing generous 117-110. The match the type of sportsmanship was somewhat marred by the one would expect. While one overzealous refereeing of Tony does not condone that type of BLOODIED: Nakatami Zaino who seemed to reprimand behavior, it is understandable broke Acosta’s Conceição a lot more than he why Conceição showed Valdez nose in the should have, taking a point such little respect. first round
In the chief support, Japan’s Junto Nakatani successfully defended his WBO flyweight title, stopping Puerto Rico’s Angel Acosta at 32 seconds of the fourth round. Nakatani broke Acosta’s nose in the opening round and the blood flowed freely. Acosta was checked by the medics several times until it was determined the risk of letting him fight on was too great. For the most part, southpaw Nakatani dominated the action. Rocky Burke was the referee. THE VERDICT Move along folks, nothing to see here.
F U L L R E S U LT S Oscar Valdez (130lbs), 30-0 (23), w pts 12 Robson Conceição (129 1/2lbs), 16-1 (8): Luis Alberto Lopez (128 1/2lbs), 23-2 (12), w pts 10 Gabriel Flores Jnr (129 1/2lbs), 19-1 (7): Junto Nakatani (111 1/2lbs), 22-0 (17), w rsf 4 Angel Acosta (112lbs), 22-3 (21): Xander Zayas (152lbs), 10-0 (7), w pts 6 Jose Luis Sanchez (151 1/2lbs), 11-2-1 (4): Lindolfo Delgado (141 1/2lbs), 13-0 (12) rsf 2 Miguel Zumudio (141lbs), 45-17-1 (28): Rene Tellez Giron (132lbs), 16-1 (10), w rsf 7 Eduardo Garza (132 1/2lbs), 15-5-1 (8): Omar Aguilar (142 1/2lbs), 21-0 (20), w rsf 2 Carlos Portillo (141 1/2lbs), 22-4 (17).
ON TARGET: Zayas scores a points win over Sanchez HARD-HITTING: Lopez lands a right and defeats Flores Jnr
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ACTION
The woeful and dangerous BelfortHolyfield card is even worse than we feared, writes Elliot Worsell
H O L LY W O O D, F L SEPTEMBER 11 +++++ MAIN EVENT + + + + + U N D E RC A R D
HE key is to try not to care. Don’t care to watch it and don’t care about the wellbeing of the fighters. It’s easier that way. Healthier that way. More palatable that way. Certainly, this approach seemed to work for the promoters and coaches involved with Triller’s ‘Legends 2’ event in Florida on Saturday (September 11). It worked for the Florida commission, too, who saw no reason why Evander Holyfield, 58, shouldn’t have been licensed for an eight-round boxing match against Vitor Belfort, a 44-yearold mixed martial artist. None of those people cared, nor so much as even
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pretended to care, and look at all the fun they appeared to have. Guilt-free, they watched, like perverts, as Belfort inevitably violated Holyfield inside a round and watched with similar relish as a 46-year-old Anderson Silva, a former UFC champion, did the same to another former UFC champion in Tito Ortiz (46). Before all that, they endured the sight of best friends David Haye (soon 41) and Joe Fournier (38) pleasuring themselves for eight carefully choreographed two-minute rounds, and also, in what was the closest thing to a proper boxing match, Jono Carroll defeat Andy Vences via 10-round majority decision. By not caring, they enjoyed themselves, these perverts. They failed to see that it was an event short on entertainment and skill but overflowing with egos, regrets and unfulfilled promises. They refused to acknowledge the tragedy of fights featuring damaged former champions, fights featuring former drug cheats, and fights featuring
men for whom the term ‘fighter’ has only ever been an attempt at false advertising. Blissfully ignorant, they watched an abomination the only way it could possibly be watched: through a peephole. It was, for the rest of us, probably worse than we had feared. Fight week started with the event getting shifted from California to Florida to allow an old man to get punched in the head, peaked with Holyfield, the old man in question, pawing at pads inside a gym boasting the ambience of a morgue, and finished with Haye and Fournier giggling during a prefight stare down. After that, each of these men, as well as Silva and Ortiz, attempted to throw punches again, with some achieving the feat with a greater degree of success than others, but not one of them looking anything like the younger versions of themselves they still see in the mirror each morning. Thankfully, very few cared and even fewer watched. The beauty of not watching, of course, is that you can pretend it never happened. You can remember these fighters the
Photos: CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
LEGEND’S FALL: Holyfield hit the canvas within the opening seconds of the first round
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EMBARRASSING: Holyfield was no match for Belfort
way you would rather they were remembered: as champions, or legends or all of the above. If not exactly ignorant, you can at least share their delusion. Because it is clear, for all our whinging, there is no stopping them, just as it is clear they are all addicted, whether that be to money, attention, risk, or self-harm. It is indeed this very addiction that both made them the fighters they used to be – when an obsessive streak ensured no stone was left unturned in preparation – and what now makes it so difficult to accept defeat and the passing of time. Sadly, too, as proven with Holyfield and Oscar De La Hoya (the original headliner), it happens to the best of them. Rather than stand and watch, all we, as bystanders, can do is treat them like the addicts they are and detach with love. We must accept that it is toxic to care and toxic to offer so much as even pity. Do that and you are not only giving them an audience but you are asking for disappointment – over and over again. You will feel dirty on their behalf; far dirtier than they, the ones bathing in dirty money, are ever likely to feel. Nostalgia is, admittedly, a powerful thing but never should it be a strong enough reason to watch. Don’t tell yourself these ‘Legends’ events pay tribute to longevity, either, because they don’t. In fact, many of the so-called legends on display are held together with Pritt Stick, so far removed from what they once were it is scarcely believable. As adults, it’s true, they can do with their bodies and minds whatever makes them happy (or money). Yet, equally, we
EXHIBITION: Haye and Fournier put on a carefully choreographed performance
should do all we can not to enable them. The worst culprits, in terms of this enabling, are usually the social media fiends twerking for attention, whose love of the sport is secondary to the love of their own voice. In these people, the come-backing boxers find their enablers, their cult, their kindred spirits. In that kind of company, the come-backing boxers feel relevant, validated, wanted. No matter the sell, however, they are neither fighting for the fans nor have any interest in entertaining you. Instead, the goal is a much simpler and far more selfish one and can be simplified like this: get in, get out, get paid. While it could be argued this is shrewd, it is only when you stop to think
about your role, and indeed boxing’s role, in this cynical plot that the extent of the manipulation becomes apparent. After all, it is boxing they are undermining and corrupting in order to pull off this heist and it is your money they hope to steal. They will call it sport, perhaps even entertainment, but it’s a heist all the same. They are stealing from their mother’s purse. They are robbing their own family business. They see, having let it become their god, only money. Whatever the individual motive, each of the participants in Saturday’s event pushed the limits of bad taste in search of some sort of reward – be it cash, relevance, endorphins, or simply a fleeting reminder that, before civilian life dared to poke fun at their ego, they used to be somebody. The event, as a result, was not a celebration of boxing, or combat sports, or great former champions, but instead a reminder of how, in retirement, things can turn desperate for even the most successful fighters. It was, by the night’s end, little more than a cautionary tale; a warning to younger, currently active boxers to think about their future and not assume the good times – or money – will always last. Forget entertainment, ‘Legends 2’ was equal parts snuff film and instructional video, one recommended for educational purposes only. THE VERDICT Deeply depressing in every way. It all overshadowed Carroll’s triumph, who overcame an eye injury to defeat Vences via scores of 97-93, twice, and 95-95.
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SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 21
ACTION
COV E N T RY S E P T E M B E R 10 +++++ MAIN EVENT + + + + + U N D E RC A R D + + + + + AT M O S P H E R E
IGNORING a cut and increasingly swollen right eye, Birmingham’s Sam Eggington was forced to go the long, hard route before accounting for Frenchman Bilel Jkitou. A split decision victory coming his way at the conclusion of a bloody, bruising affair with close rounds aplenty. Needing to make up a little lost early ground, Sam threw caution to the wind. In the fourth there was a prolonged spell of trading in centre ring, and afterwards the pace seldom dropped with Eggington, for me anyway, just that little bit busier for the most part. Sam, hurt and slowed momentarily by a couple of lefts at the top of the eighth was closing the rounds strongly and that might just have been sufficient for him nick one or two of those really close rounds. The pace in the see-saw later rounds showed no sign of lessening and the crowd was treated to a real battle as the finish loomed. Excellent stuff, unless of course you happen to be one of the two men taking the punches. Judges John Latham and Alexander Walter scored 117-112 and 117-111 respectively for Sam whilst Frenchman Christophe Fernandez saw a different fight altogether and had it 116-112 for Jkitou. BN had Sam two up at the finish. Brummie welter Kaisee Benjamin banked another early win by knocking out Finland’s Jarkko Putkonen in the third of a scheduled 10. Shaun Messer completed his count at 1-09 after Kaisee, having softened the visitor up, had slammed home a cracker of a right to the body. Putkonen, on all fours, did his very best to rock to and fro and rid himself of the pain but was unable to do so and he never looked like beating the count. Mr Messer was third man too in a 10 between local favourite River WilsonBent and Budapest’s Gabor Gorbics and at the conclusion of a particularly onesided encounter scored 100-90. WilsonBent, in control throughout, cut off the ring and backed the Hungarian up and regularly upped the pace as the rounds entered their later stages. Gorbics, who finished nicked above the left eye, did reply intermittently with single shots for the most part but never with anything to trouble the unbeaten Coventry man. Well-supported Irish welterweight Stephen McKenna, having won all eight previous contests early, was taken the distance for the first time by durable and always game Frenchman Moussa Gary. Stephen, who mixed things up nicely but targeted the body to a large extent,
22 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
Andy Whittle watches Eggington comes out on top after toe to toe affair
probably learned more in six rounds against an opponent who simply refused to wilt, than he had in all of those previous quickies. Referee Mr Messer scored 60-54. Another Irishman, Brett McGinty needed only two-and-a-half rounds of a scheduled four to bank his third paid victory with Sofia’s Teodor Nikolov, back pedalling at a rate of knots from the start, finding himself well out of his depth. Two rounds to the good, Brett duly floored the Bulgarian three times in quick succession, the third such instance prompting the intervention of referee Chris Dean with 77 seconds of the session gone. If McGinty’s victory had been a swift one, that of Michael Hennessy Jr over Latvian Maksims Dembovskis was even quicker, being done and dusted inside 135 seconds and in that short space of time the woeful visitor was also down three times but unlike Nikolov he stayed down on the final occasion after being dropped by a right cross. Again Mr Dean was the referee. Birmingham’s Shakan Pitters, who towered over Amsterdam-based Ugandan Farouk Daku, cruised to an 80-70 win. So dominant was Pitters that
viewing in the later stages became a little uncomfortable. One wondered if his corner might pull him out. A stoppage could have come when he was sent to the canvas by a right in a neutral corner in the penultimate session but he boxed on offering a big heart but little else. Brighton heavyweight Tommy Welch was taken the distance for the first time by Spaniard Alvaro Terrero who took several clubbing hooks without looking like wilting before enjoying a modicum of success in the last as the pace dropped. Referee Mr Messer tallied 40-36. A bout slated for six but ending after just one saw Brixton’s Isaac Chamberlain put paid to the hopes of Bolton’s busy Ben Thomas who, dropped heavily by a left hook as the bell sounded, failed to come out for the second round. Referee Mr Dean officiated, as was the case in a one-sided six between Ireland’s unbeaten Aaron McKenna and gutsy Croatian Ivica Gogosevic which finished 60-52, the man from Split being dropped twice in the closing moments. THE VERDICT Yet another hard but thrilling night at the office for Eggington.
SAVAGE AND BLOODY Photo: RYAN PIERSE/GETTY IMAGES
PACY PERFORMANCE: Eggington [left] and Jkitou battled into the closing rounds
F U L L R E S U LT S Sam Eggington (158lbs 2oz), 31-7 (18), w pts 12 Bilel Jkitou (157lbs 2oz), 15-1 (6); Kaisee Benjamin (145 1/2lbs), 13-1-1 (4), w ko 3 Jarkko Putkonen (145 1/4lbs), 17-8-2 (7); River Wilson-Bent (159lbs 3oz), 10-0 (5), w pts 10 Gabor Gorbics (161lbs 2oz), 26-21-1 (16); Shakan Pitters (164lbs 2oz), 16-1 (5), w pts 8 Farouk Daku (165lbs 6oz), 21-19-1 (9); Isaac Chamberlain (209lbs 7oz), 13-1 (7), w rtd 1 Ben Thomas (193 1/4lbs), 2-7-3 (1); Stephen McKenna (147lbs 9oz), 9-0 (8), w pts 6 Moussa Gary (147lbs 7ooz), 11-4-2 (1); Michael Hennessy Jr (158lbs 2oz), 7-1-1 (1), w ko 1 Maksims Dembovskis (153lbs 3oz), 3-10 (3); Aaron McKenna (161lbs 3ooz), 12-0 (7), w pts 6 Ivica Gogosevic (158lbs 14oz), 12-37-2 (5); Tommy Welch (234lbs), 5-0 (4), w pts 4 Alvaro Terrero (240 1/4lbs), 5-13-2 (3); Brett McGinty (157 1/4lbs), 3-0 (1), w rsf 3 Teodor Nikolov (159lbs), 5-41-4 (1).
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ACTION
TOUGH GOING Photo: QUEENSBERRY
But Lynn comes through test, writes Daniel Herbert H AC K N E Y W I C K S E P T E M B E R 10 +++++ WHOLE SHOW + + + + + AT M O S P H E R E
HALL of Fame promoter Frank Warren staged the first of his “Prospects” shows at the Copper Box Arena and saw all his hopefuls win, although the main event proved much harder for Louie Lynn than the straightforward victories for his stablemates on the undercard. In front of the BT Sport cameras, the Banstead-based Bermondsey man came through his biggest test with a split nine-round technical decision over fellow unbeaten Amin Jahanzeb in an often messy, but always intriguing featherweight battle. Their 10-rounder was still in the balance when late in the ninth an accidental head clash left Lynn with a horrible diagonal gash over his right eye. At the session’s end referee Victor Loughlin called a halt and, as this was a WBC fight (Lynn defending his International Silver 126lbs bauble), told the judges to apply the WBC rule by taking a point from the uncut fighter. That left Lynn ahead for Robin Dolpierre (France) at 87-84 and Ian John-Lewis (UK) at 86-85, while Olena Pobyvailo (Belgium) had Jahanzeb up by 86-85. Even without the point deduction, Lynn would have retained via split draw. One could make a reasonable case for any score: Lynn came forward and provided the volume, while Bradford switch-hitter Jahanzeb stayed outside and countered sharply, but less frequently. Jahanzeb’s accuracy edged him the first two rounds before Lynn found his rhythm and roughed up his opponent to take the next two sessions. Late in the fifth Lynn walked onto a left hook that rocked him back, but he rebounded to win rounds six and seven on sheer effort. Jahanzeb upped his workrate in the eighth, bloodying the Londoner’s nose, and it was still nip and tuck when the head clash ended matters prematurely at the end of round nine. “They delivered for the fans,” said a delighted Warren. “But looking at Lynn’s eye it’ll be a while before there can be a rematch.” Said Lynn, “I wasn’t too pleased with my performance but I got the win.” Tall Portsmouth southpaw Mark
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BIGGEST TEST: Lynn [right] won with a technical split-decision but sustained eye damage
FULL R E S U LT S Louie Lynn (126lbs), 10-0 (7), w tech dec 9 Amin Jahanzeb (126lbs), 8-1 (2); Mark Chamberlain (138lbs), 9-0 (6), w rtd 4 Benjamin Lamptey (138lbs), 11-5-1 (9); Frank Arnold, 8-0-1 (2), w rsf 1 Lee Glover, 11-6 (3); Karol Itauma (176lbs), 4-0 (2), w pts 4 Darryl Sharp (179lbs), 5-75-1; Jonathan Kumuteo (155 1/2lbs), 2-0, w pts 4 Kevin McCauley, 15-212-12; Callum Thompson (134lbs), 2-0, w pts 4 Dean Jones (135lbs), 1-31; Joshua Frankham (148lbs), 4-0 (1), w rsf 2 Matija Petrinic (146lbs), 1-6; Adan Mohamed 2-0, w rsf 2 Luke Merryfield, 0-1; Umar Khan (126lbs), 2-0, w pts 4 Luke Fash (122lbs), 2-64-2; Khalid Ali (149 1/2lbs), 1-0 (1), w rsf 3 Dean Wilkinson (145lbs 2oz), 0-1.
Chamberlain continued his exciting progress by forcing Ghana’s Benjamin Lamptey to retire after four rounds of a scheduled eight at lightweight. Early on Lamptey used his handspeed to clip Chamberlain a couple of times, but generally the former national amateur champion controlled matters with his steady boxing and greater power. When the African overreached with a wild right in round two, Chamberlain countered with a left to drop him for an eight count. Then late in round four a thumping right-left to the body made Lamptey go down in delayed reaction, and during the interval his corner pulled him out. The plan is still for Chamberlain to meet promotional stablemate Sam Noakes, who was ringside for this. If it happens, it will be one not to miss. Chas Coakley was the referee, as was the case for the super-feather six that saw Hackney’s Frank “Tank” Arnold stop Lee Glover (Tipton) in the opening round. Two consecutive lefts made Glover buckle and put a glove on the canvas, and although Lee quickly righted himself, Coakley waved it off. The other seven fights were all over four rounds, convincing wins abounding. In an all-southpaw bout at lightheavyweight Chatham’s former amateur star Karol Itauma proved too big and strong for Middleton’s Darryl Sharp, outpointing him 40-36 for referee Kieran McCann. Stylish Itauma piled up points with his jab and had Sharp sagging from hurtful body blows, but the journeyman showed grit to reach the final bell. One-time GB amateur squad member Callum Thompson, a Liverpudlian now
training in Manchester with Joe Gallagher, showed his class in beating Telford’s Dean Jones at lightweight. Compact Thompson, a southpaw, dropped Jones halfway through the opener with a left-right then used his good variety to outbox the rugged Midlander for a 40-35 score from referee Coakley. After three points win to start his career, Reading’s Joshua Frankham got his first stoppage when halting Matija Petrinic in the second round at welterweight. Looking bigger, Frankham outworked his Croatian opponent steadily before Petrinic went down late in round one from rights to the head followed by a right downstairs. The second went the same way until more big right-handers put Petrinic down again, for Mr McCann to halt matters at 1-37. McCann handled the super-bantam contest that saw Ilford’s popular Umar Khan take a comprehensive 40-36 verdict over Hull’s Luke Fash. Switching from orthodox to southpaw and back again, Khan used his advantages in height and reach to pile up the points. Experienced Fash soaked it all up and offered plenty of movement. A welterweight meeting of debutants brought victory for Brick Lane’s Khalid Ali when he stopped Dean Wilkinson (Middleton) in the fourth and last. Southpaw Ali came forward looking to land his left cross but Wilkinson stayed on the move to keep out of trouble – until the last, when a left-right dropped him. He was up at seven for the mandatory eight count, but when he absorbed a body shot followed by two head blows, referee Coakley had seen enough. Time: 1-26. When Congo-born Finchley superwelter Jonathan Kumuteo made a winning debut five months ago it was behind closed doors. So he was delighted to have an audience for what he called his real professional debut – and he outpointed Stourbridge superjourneyman Kevin McCauley by 40-36 for Mr McCann. After winning his first two fights on points, Buckhurst Hill featherweight Adan Mohamed stopped Shrewsbury’s Luke Merryfield in two rounds. A sharp right stunned Merryfield, prompting Mohamed to follow up with a stream of solid blows from either hand to have him on ropes and badly dazed, whereupon referee Coakley intervened. THE VERDICT A rematch will hold plenty of interest, once Lynn’s injuries have healed.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 23
ACTION
H O U G H TO N S E P T E M B E R 10 +++++ MAIN EVENT + + + + + U N D E RC A R D + + + + + AT M O S P H E R E
CRAIG DERBYSHIRE is dreaming of a crack at the British super-flyweight title. And who can blame him after regaining the vacant English belt with one of 2021’s stand-out performances as he ended Joe Maphosa’s unbeaten record. The result will state the 30-year-old won via a split decision but, in truth, this was a very worthy success. When MC, Billy Hardy, announced the first two scores, 97-92 Derbyshire, from Terry O’Connor, and Ron Kearney’s 95-93 to Maphosa, the huge Teesside army inside Rainton Arena had hope their hero might nick it. But Phil Edwards’ score of 96-93 to the man from Bentley, South Yorkshire, ensured justice was done. A self-employed fencer by trade, he downed tools a month ago to train for this but packed his boxing tools, two heavy hands and a phenomenal engine, for this assignment. Aggressive from the first bell, Derbyshire was determined not to let the smooth Maphosa settle into his rhythm and when he felled the Thornaby boxer with a cracking left-right combination, the favourite was very much unsettled. Maphosa recovered and even stood and traded despite the obvious danger from the boxer known as “Dynamite”. Coach Imran Naeem’s instruction to Joe to “box” brought a response from the 27-year-old. Gliding around the ring nicely, there was a short right here and a sharp left there, but not enough to stamp any authority on proceedings. When Maphosa did score, Derbyshire hit back with some clubbing shots of his own. It was a physical, feisty affair, not helped by Joe having a point deducted by referee Michael Alexander in the eighth for holding. Derbyshire, who first won this belt two years ago with a brilliant triumph in Nathan Reeve’s Northampton backyard, repeated the trick in Houghton. Craig is something of a paradox, a serial loser over four and six rounds, who comes to life in championship boxing so when BN cornered him in a jubilant dressing room, the question was obvious ‘why have you only won eight times from
COMFORT ZONE: Derbyshire has found his optimal weight at super-fly
DERBYSHIRE IS DYNAMITE Roy Kelly watches Craig end Joe’s unbeaten run to win English title
F U L L R E S U LT S Craig Derbyshire (114lbs), 8-28-3 (3), w pts 10 Joe Maphosa (113lbs), 10-1 (1); Alex Farrell (152lbs), 5-0 (2), w rsf 6 Serge Ambomo (152lbs), 7-21-2 (3); Michael Webster (193lbs), 5-0 (3), w ko 1 Pawel Strykowski (194lbs), 3-13; Henry Thomas (135lbs), 5-0 (1), w pts 4 Fonz Alexander (153lbs), 7-110 (4); Jordan Ellison (142lbs), 12-34-2 (1), w pts 4 Anth Ornsby (142lbs), 4-1; Jordan Barker-Porter (137lbs), 1-0, w pts 4 Vaida Masiokaite (135lbs), 2-10-4 (1); Ewan McKenzie (147lbs), 1-0, w pts 4 Paul Scaife (147lbs), 0-5.
24 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
39 when can you fight like that?’. “This is my weight,” he responded. “I used to go away and fight anybody at any weight. That’s probably only been the fifth time I’ve fought at my own weight because people won’t fight me. “Hopefully I’ll get a shot at the British title now – I’ve won this twice, surely they can’t deny me a go? As soon as I put Joe down I knew I could do it and I was able to walk through his punches.” The most impressive undercard display came from Greek-Geordie Alex Farrell, who stopped Sheffield’s bloodied Serge Ambomo at 1-52 of the final round. For those outside the North-East, keep an eye on Farrell, who has two quick, accurate fists with real spite in his punches, as he proved here. Rather than coast through the sixth round, the unbeaten super-welter increased the intensity, decking the ex-Olympian with a four-punch combination. Serge rose, to receive a booming left that would have put him on the canvas but for being caught by Mr Kearney, who waved it off at the same time. Watch out too for Middlesbrough cruiserweight Michael Webster who made it three consecutive early wins when he cut Poland’s Pawel Strykowski in two with a body barrage, ref Kevin Weaver counting out the Pole at 1-35 of
round one. Darlington lightweight Henry Thomas, back in the ring after a fouryear hiatus and under the management of the event’s promoter Phil Jeffries, was a late addition and while he conceded a fair chunk of weight to Newark’s Fonz Alexander, he won with comfort, 40-36. Two highly-popular Durham figures made successful professional debuts. Ex-Lambton Street star, Jordan BarkerPorter, now boxing out of Wallsend, picked her shots beautifully against Vaida Masiokaite, the Lithuanian unlucky to leave pointless after a 40-36 defeat. Jarrow’s Ewan McKenzie set a phenomenal pace and punch volume which Mosborough’s Paul Scaife did well to survive. It ended 40-35 with Mr Kearney scoring both with Neil Close in charge inside the ropes. The show opened with Seaham’s Jordan Ellison winning for the first time in 18 attempts 39-37 against Wallsend’s previously-unbeaten Anth Ornsby, Weaver reffing and Kearney scoring. THE VERDICT “Dynamite” Derbyshire deserves promotion while the gifted but outgunned Maphosa will now look to contend at flyweight rather than super-fly.
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HAYWOOD ON A HIGH Kyle edges all East Midlands clash, writes Andy Whittle from ringside
LEICESTER SEPTEMBER 11 +++++ MAIN EVENT + + + + + U N D E RC A R D + + + + + AT M O S P H E R E
JUST a single point separated the two title hopefuls at the culmination of this highly-charged and ultimately bloody all southpaw clash for the vacant Midlands Area super-welterweight belt. Referee Shaun Messer handing Earl Shilton’s Kyle Haywood a 96-95 win over Derby’s Alex Fearon. BN had Haywood two rounds to the good at the Morningside Arena by the time he was rattled by a short right uppercut early in the fourth. Alex followed up with a weighty left, and one wondered if the tide was about to turn. But Kyle, while avoiding any further punishment, increasingly ventured onto the front foot and I thought he’d done just enough to edge the sixth and seventh, during which time Fearon twice lost his gum-shield. A spell ensued where, for me, the
better quality was coming from Haywood and more regularly too, a particularly eye-catching right during a feisty spell late in a penultimate stanza being proof. A head clash early in the closing session left Fearon, already nicked below the left eye, cut above the same optic. Haywood didn’t escape unscathed himself, blood flowed down his left cheek from a cut by the eye and at the conclusion of a cracking final round the faces of both were a mess. It looked in the opening moments, as he whaled away with both hands, as if wildly popular Harby puncher Stanley Stannard might just be on for an early night against Doncaster’s Kyle Fox but the man from Yorkshire, not for the first time, proved he is made of stern stuff. Fox weathered the storm and contributed plenty to a highly watchable six-rounder before eventually going down 58-56 on the card of referee Chris Dean. I had Stanley, who slammed home several huge shoots, a slightly wider winner. Derbyshire’s Lee Connelly, making the most of the fact that so few decent, durable opponents are available, was out once more in a six against well-supported Brad Daws of Carlton in Nottingham.
HARD WORK DONE: Haywood celebrates with David Wainwright
F U L L R E S U LT S Kyle Haywood (153lbs), 9-1 (1), w pts 10 Alex Fearon (153 1/4lbs), 9-3; Stanley Stannard (156lbs 2oz), 5-0 (2), w pts 6 Kyle Fox (152lbs 6oz), 7-2; Brad Daws (134 1/4lbs), 7-1 (2), w pts 6 Lee Connelly (134lbs 6oz), 7-61-5; Joe Ducker (139lbs 6oz), 8-8-2 (2), w pts 6 Simas Volosinas (134lbs 10oz), 7-91 (1); Benn Norman (114lbs 2oz), 4-0, w pts 6 Reiss Taylor (116 1/4lbs), 3-10 (1); Tom Cowling (160 1/4lbs), 5-0 (1), w pts 4 Seamus Devlin (160 1/4lbs), 0-5; Connor Ireson (151lbs 2oz), 6-0, w pts 4 Qasim Hussain (156lbs), 4-105-2; Olly Marple (176lbs), 3-0, w pts 4 Tim Ventrella (178lbs 10oz), 0-3-1.
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He might well have slipped to another loss, 60-54 for referee Mr Dean, but he never really looked in danger. Daws, in the knowledge that he was highly unlikely to bang out such a seasoned operator, settling for a neat, controlled performance, bossing things behind the jab from the start. Loughborough’s Joe Ducker can still shift a few tickets, as was evidenced by the noisy pocket of supporters urging him on in a six against Lithuanian veteran Simas Volosinas, for whom it was a 98th paid outing. Those same supporters were able to celebrate a shut-out win with Mr Messer handing in a card reading 60-54. Tattooed Ducker found sufficient gaps to score with several early uppercuts and though I thought Simas might have done enough to share a couple of sessions, he was nursing some damage by the left eye and seemed happy to hear the final bell. A third bout finishing 60-54, refereed by Mr Dean, saw Shepshed flyweight Benn Norman renewing acquaintances with Birmingham’s Reiss Taylor. The pair first met across the city at the King Power Stadium 18 months earlier, just before things began to get silly. This rematch saw southpaw Taylor, initially troubled by errant dreadlocks, falling behind to the switching Norman who was doubling up his hooks and regularly finding the target. Things didn’t really improve for him with Benn, increasingly cutting off the ring, finishing with a little clubbing left to the head just for good measure. Newark pair Tom Cowling and Olly Marple both secured 40-36 successes against Padiham’s busy Seamus Devlin and Nottingham’s Tim Ventrella respectively. Cowling, on the front foot from the off, handed Devlin a fifth successive points defeat, upping the pace late in each session just to make sure, with Chris Dean the third man. However, the kindest thing that can be said about the ultra-tepid Marple–Ventrella meeting is that the closing 10 seconds were entertaining. Shaun Messer refereed. Leicester’s Connor Ireson took the 39-37 decision of referee Dean at the end of a four against Sheffield centurion Qasim Hussain who, having spent years at lightweight, is now up at super-welter. Kas’ best round was undoubtedly the third, during which he proved a little more aggressive but he was bested for the most part by Ireson, who finished strongly. THE VERDICT Both boxers were fully deserving of the prolonged applause at the conclusion of their encounter.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 25
ACTION HAIR-RAISING: Late sub Allington [right] was ahead on points when a cut to his eye sent it to the scorecards Photo: PHILIP SHARKEY
SUPER SUB Replacement Allington takes his chance, writes Daniel Herbert from ringside
BETHNAL GREEN SEPTEMBER 11 +++++ WHOLE SHOW + + + + + AT M O S P H E R E
BILLY ALLINGTON received a lucky break, and made the most of it, to become Southern Area super-lightweight champion as Goodwin Boxing returned to the York Hall. The original main event matched Jumaane Camero with Connor Vian for the vacant belt, but Vian was forced out when required for active duty in his day job – serving in the Parachute regiment. In came Egham’s Allington to fight fellow Surrey man Camero (Mitcham), with the winner to defend against Vian. And the fight, in front of an enthusiastic crowd, was just warming up when a bad cut on Billy’s left eye brought a stoppage by referee Kieran McCann 27 seconds into round five (of 10).
F U L L R E S U LT S Billy Allington (139 3/4lbs), 9-1-3, w tech dec 5 Jumaane Camero (139 3/4lbs), 10-8 (3); Amar Kayani (160 3/4lbs), 3-0 (1), w pts 4 Kristaps Zulgis (12st 2 3/4lbs), 5-18-3 (2); Kristaps Zulgis (9st 11 1/2lbs), 1-0, w pts 4 Lee Devine (9st 12 1/2lbs), 0-7; Tyler Marriott (10st 7 1/2lbs), 1-0, w pts 4 Naeem Ali (11st 4lbs), 2-74-1 (1); Billy Stanbury (11st 10 3/4lbs), 2-0 (1), w pts 4 Robbie Chapman (11st 13 1/4lbs), 6-8; Shocki Khan (11st 7 1/2lbs), 2-0, w pts 4 Jordan Grannum (12st 2lbs), 5-78-2; Denis Denikajev (10st 4 1/4lbs), 7-0-1 (1), w pts 4 Matar Sambou (10st 0 1/2lb), 1-6 (1).
26 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
As the wound had been caused by an accidental clash of heads, in round three, and four rounds had been completed, it went to Mr McCann’s scorecard, which read 40-37 for Allington. In the opening session, tall Camero used his height and reach advantages to keep Allington on the outside, but in the second Billy came into things as he began to get inside regularly. By round three Camero was waiting too long, ceding the initiative to Allington, until the cut appeared near the bell. Allington went on the offensive in the fourth and landed some good rights but although the cut survived a doctor’s inspection in that session, when the medic looked again in round five it was all over. Allington had been outpointed by Daniel Egbunike for this same title at the same venue in November 2019 – his only defeat as a pro. Camero, for his part, held the Area lightweight crown in 2017-18. The show-closer after the main event produced a popular win for Slough middleweight Amar Kayani, although only after a rocky start. Encouraged by early success against Basildon-based Lithuanian Kristaps
Zulgis, Kayani moved in with his guard down – and got nailed by a left uppercut that dropped him heavily. After the eight count he seemed shaken, and had to absorb another big left before the round was out. But the lesson had been learned and gradually over the next three rounds Kayani got his boxing together to land enough solid blows for a 38-37 verdict from Mr McCann. There were winning four-round debuts for big ticket-sellers Krzysztof Zuraw and Tyler Marriott. Lightweight Zuraw, from Southend, began aggressively against Lee Devine, unloading to head and body as he occasionally switched southpaw and back. Dunstable’s Devine hit back a bit in round three before Zuraw finished strongly in the last with a combination to the body, winning 39-37 on Chas Coakley’s card. Essex welter Marriott conceded weight to Naeem Ali but didn’t let it stop him taking the fight to his Blackburn opponent throughout. Marriott scored particularly well to the body, forcing Ali to cover up tightly and spend time on the ropes. Mr McCann scored 40-36 to the newcomer. With only one pro fight to his credit, and that a first-round stoppage, Bideford southpaw middleweight Billy Stanbury went in with experienced Robbie Chapman and won narrowly at 39-38 for referee Coakley. The “Camden Caretaker” used all his wiles, moving around the ring and clinching when Stanbury got close. He landed a good right in the second, possibly the round he won, but Stanbury stuck to his task and clinched victory in the last with a stream of solid lefthanders. Well-supported Aylesbury superwelter Shocki Khan gave his fans something to celebrate as he won a 40-36 verdict from Mr Coakley over heavier Islington journeyman Jordan Grannum. Khan (real name Shafqat) used his advantages in height and reach to control all four rounds, although he could never put a dent in the durable Grannum. Opening the show was a superlightweight four that saw Barking’s Denis Denikajev remain unbeaten with a 40-36 victory over Senegal-born Barnet man Matar Sambou. Denikajev took the fight to his southpaw opponent throughout and truly deserved his win.
VIAN WAS FORCED OUT BY HIS DAY JOB BUT WILL MEET THE WINNER
THE VERDICT Enterprising Allington makes the most of his unexpected opportunity.
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ACTION
SZEKERES SHOCKER Photo: MANJIT NAROTRA/MSN/BCB
Truncated show goes ahead but not all goes to plan
FULL R E S U LT S
UPSET: Owen hits the canvas after a trio of hooks from Szekeres
WA L S A L L
Norbert Szekeres (181lbs), 19-81-4 (10), w rsf 2 Andy Owen (176lbs), 1-1 (1); Ethan Collins (152 1/2lbs), 1-0, w pts 4 Paul Cummings (154 1/2lbs), 2-51; Ryan Woolridge (158 1/4lbs), 1-0, w pts 4 Kearon Thomas (161lbs 14oz), 1-151 (1);
SEPTEMBER 12 +++++ WHOLE SHOW + + + + + AT M O S P H E R E
THERE was a more than decent crowd in the Stadium Suite at the Bescot for this Sunday evening show despite, come fight time, the card having been reduced to just three four-round contests. With several intended events having been pulled as the busy weekend approached, due in no small part to a distinct shortage of willing opponents, Black Country Promotions will, one suspects, simply be happy to be back up and running again and to get this show done and dusted. Not all of the results went their way, with one fight novice Andy Owen being halted inside the distance by Budapest’s experienced Norbert Szekeres, but on the positive side there were wide points victories for a pair of debutants. Hungarian Szekeres doesn’t win many these days, in fact he hadn’t had his arm raised since early 2016, some 36 bouts ago, but he silenced the locals and spoiled a first outing on home soil for
light-heavyweight Owen, who had taken the opener behind the jab and looked in control early in the next. Then the visitor found the space to land an overhand right before a trio of hooks sent Andy sprawling. He was up in time to beat the count of Newark referee Kevin Parker, who officiated throughout, but unsteady and in no position to continue it was waved off just 10 seconds shy of the half-way mark. As mentioned, the evening’s two new starts, Dudley’s Ethan Collins and Ryan Woolridge from just down the road in
Bloxwich both banked debut wins and kept clean sheets in the process, Collins seeing off Warminster tall Paul Cummings at super-welter while a division higher up at middleweight, “Rhino” Ryan, a six-footer, proved too much for another local in the shape of Kearon Thomas. Hugely popular Stoke puncher Nathan Heaney was among those in attendance, as was the equally popular Steve Bunce, who interviewed several boxers in the ring. THE VERDICT Two out of three ain’t bad for the young prospects.
THROWN OUT Gratii DQ’d against the impressive Moorcroft, writes Jacob Kilbride B O LTO N SEPTEMBER 12 +++++ WHOLE SHOW + + + + + AT M O S P H E R E
A HOST of VIP Promotions fighters made their long-awaited returns to the ring in the second Bolton show of the weekend run by promoter Steve Wood. Of the seven home fighters on the bill at the Bolton Whites Hotel, only headliner James Moorcroft had previously boxed this year. The Warrington fighter eventually prevailed by disqualification against Octavian Gratii in the eighth and final round of what had been a competitive tussle. Moorcroft towered above Gratii though
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struggled to find his range and stuck behind his jab in the early rounds. Gratii had success throughout but Moorcroft was coming on strongly down the stretch and, perhaps unsure he could go the distance, Gratii was deducted a point for repeatedly spitting out his gum shield in round six. Despite the rounds remaining closely fought, Gratti continued to employ spoiling tactics and 39 seconds into the last round, referee Jamie Kirkpatrick finally disqualified the Romanian. Salford’s Luke Evans provided a more conclusive climax by recording a first stoppage win of his career over Poland’s Denis Madry. It had been a largely tight affair until Evans unleashed a cascade of wicked left hooks floored Madry. Shakily he rose to his feet before John Latham waved off the bout aafter 39 seconds of the sxith.
Reigning Central Area middleweight champion Jack Kilgannon (Oldham) sealed a fourth-round stoppage over the tiring Damian Stanislawski (Poland), with a pair of clean left hands enough to force Mr Latham’s intervention at 2-36 of the fourth of a scheduled six. Wigan-born Rhiannon Dixon breezed to a 40-36 decision from Mr Latham against Poland veteran Karina Kopinska over four twominute rounds. Three debutants made successful starts to their pro careers in fourround bouts. In the battle of Blackpool, Tyrone Bowen-Price twice put down Craig Sumner with body shots before the finish at 1-37 of the second. Fellow Blackpool resident Jake Abrol also put down his opponent, Croatian Ivan Njegac, twice en route to a second-round stoppage, which
came at 56 seconds of the session. Meanwhile, Warrington’s Casey Brown prevailed 40-36 against the experienced Danny Little from Driffield. Mr Kirkpatrick officiated all three first-timers. THE VERDICT Heavily-weighted in favour of home corners.
F U L L R E S U LT S James Moorcroft (151lbs 3oz), 15-0 (5), w disq 8 Octavian Gratii (150lbs 9oz), 7-171; Luke Evans (146lbs 6oz), 11-0 (1), w rsf 6 Denis Madry (142lbs 14oz), 6-7 (1); Jake Abrol (145lbs 8oz), 1-0 (1), w rsf 2 Ivan Njegac (141lbs 3oz), 12-20 (4); Jack Kilgannon (172lbs 14oz), 11-0 (3), w rsf 4 Damian Stanislawski (162lbs 13oz), 4-5 (1); Casey Brown (152lbs 1oz), 1-0, w pts 4 Danny Little (158lbs 13oz) 8-69-2 (1); Rhiannon Dixon (135lbs 2oz), 3-0, w pts 4 Karina Kopinska (132lbs 8oz), 14-41-4 (3); Tyrone Bowen-Price (146lbs 10oz), 1-0 (1), w rsf 2 Craig Sumner (171lbs 3oz) 1-1.
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ACTION
SHOCKER
DRINGY EDGES IT
CZECH TAKEN
Junor gets off the deck and silences the locals with upset win over Catlin
Liam finishes cut but victorious in welcome return to North Notts Arena
Tough opposition for four first-timers at first of two Whites VIP promotions
OLDHAM
WORKSOP
OLDHAM
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S E P T E M B E R 10
SEPTEMBER 11
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OLDHAM Leisure Centre played host to this Frank Duffin promotion which, barring one upset, went pretty much to plan. The upset, quite a big one, came in the opener of a scheduled four between Fleetwood’s previously unbeaten Dan Catlin and Derby’s Nathan Junor, who had won just one from 10 going in. Catlin right floored the visitor just moments into the contest but Junor turn the contest on its head when a peach of a right uppercut dropped Dan heavily to the canvas. Though he hauled himself upright at a count of ‘seven’ he was betrayed by unsteady legs and referee Mark Lyson waved it off with 39 seconds of the opener still to go. Liverpool referee Mr Lyson was in charge of two more that went early: Spanishbased Romanian Alexandru Ionita made it only as far as the fourth when, with 19 seconds remaining, he was deemed to be taking too much punishment from Ashton’s relentless Zak Miller; popular first-timer Connor Lawrence was in fine form, flooring Liverpool’s Byron Abiru twice in the opener with rights and knocking him out, 43 seconds into the next, with a body shot. Shaw welterweight Jack Rafferty put paid to the hopes of Ghanaian Daniel Lartey late in the fifth and penultimate session. The African, backed to the ropes on several occasions as Jack slammed in hooks, had scant cause for complaint when Steve Gray intervened with 13 seconds still on the clock. Adam Sircar of Stockport, tidy behind the jab, floored Mottram’s Michael Horabin in the opener en-route to a 40-35 win a result replicated by Droylsden switch-hitter Billy Deniz who despite conceding a chunk of weight dropped Silsden heavy Danny Whitaker in the third. Sheffield’s Razaq Najib, busy throughout, took all four rounds against Oldham’s Taka Bembere.
PRO boxing made a welcome return to the North Notts Arena where in the closely fought nominal main event Chesterfield super-fly Liam Dring hung on to his unbeaten record, edging out Chorlton’s Stephen Jackson by just a single point over six on the card of referee for the night Kevin Parker. Dringy sustained a cut above the left eye in the fourth round but marched on regardless and was rewarded at the conclusion of an always competitive contest with a 58-57 victory. Local southpaw and big ticket seller Declan Cairns delighted his noisy followers by banking his third straight win, a trouble-free 40-36 victory coming his way against Bognor’s Carl Turney who in contrast remains winless after 13. A four-round bout between Luke Middleton from just up the road in Langold and first-timer George Rogers ended all square at 39-39. In truth, the fight looked to be there for the taking had either of the combatants been able to step it up just a little bit. Derby cruiser Elvis Dube, stepping between the ropes for the 99th time, was always going to be up against it going in against Richmond’s unbeaten Chris Davies so the 40-36 card turned in by Newark official Mr Parker at the conclusion of the fourrounder didn’t raise too many eyebrows. Shinfield-stabled Dube, now 43, can still be a danger with that big overhand right but he wasn’t able to make a dent in the favourite. One wonders if he’ll call it a day once he reaches 100. There was a shut-out victory too in the evening’s remaining four round match between Warmsworth’s unbeaten Cameron Kaihau and Spain-based Mexican Fernando Valencia who appears regularly, and is beaten equally regularly, in the UK.
THE FIRST of two VIP promotions on consecutive nights at Whites garnered halfa-dozen home victories, four of them for first timers who, due to the current circumstances, found themselves in with tougher opposition that might have normally been the case. Now under the tutelage of Martin Murray, Leigh middle Kyle Lomotey enjoyed his first outing in almost two years. He shook off a little rust by outscoring Manchester-based Czech Jan Ardon (59-55) and, according to his handlers, who were more than happy with his performance, is now ready to be let off the leash. Ardon, in good shape, took the fifth. Anthony Crolla-trained Jake James ran out a handy six-round points winner over Sofia’s 30 year-old Angel Emilov who covered up well under pressure but was unable to prevent the Mancunian slamming home a great body shot late on. The score was 59-55. Only stoppage of the night came from Wigan’s Lennox Lythgoe (his brother’s name is Lewis) who created quite a stir in flooring usually durable and naturally heavier Westbrook operator Ricky Leach twice prior to halting him at 1-08 in the second of a scheduled four. Irishman Johnny Kiely emerged a shutout 40-36 winner at the culmination of an entertaining clash of first timers against Doncaster’s Jake Bray who was maybe a little unfortunate not be credited with a share of the final session. Morecambe’s Owen Kirk went in with tough Brummie Josh Hodgins and, after changing his game plan and working from a distance after several early head clashes left him with a badly bloodied nose, he went on to claim a 39-37 victory. Stockport debutant Rhys Woods found Lydney’s Lewis van Poetsch to be as tough as ever. A nice southpaw jab ultimately saw Woods home. It finished 39-37 with “Poochi” in his 142nd bout, taking the last. John Latham and Jamie Kirkpatrick shared the refereeing duties.
F U L L R E S U LT S F U L L R E S U LT S Zak Miller (130lbs 6oz), 6-2-1 (3), w rsf 4 Alexandru Ionita (129lbs 2oz), 4-2 (1); Jack Rafferty (154lbs), 11-6-1 (4), w rsf 5 Daniel Lartey (155 1/2lbs), 8-13 (3); Razaq Najib (126lbs), 11-0 (4), w pts 4 Taka Bembere (130 1/2lbs), 3-11-1 (2); Billy Deniz (200lb), 11-9 (5), w pts 4 Danny Whitaker (265lbs), 6-40 (1); Adam Sircar (143lbs 2oz), 3-2, w pts 4 Michael Horabin (147lbs 6oz), 10-183-4-1N/C (7); Connor Lawrence (172 1/4lbs), 2-8-3, w ko 2 Byron Abiru (172lbs 2oz), 1-1 (1); Nathan Junor (189 1/2lbs), 2-8-1 (1), w rsf 1 Dan Catlin (182lbs), 7-1 (3).
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Liam Dring (113lbs 1oz), 4-0, w pts 6 Stephen Jackson (113lbs 1oz), 1-2 (1); Cameron Kaihau (157lbs 9oz), 5-0, w pts 4 Fernando Valencia (159 1/4lbs), 8-20 (4); Declan Cairns (151 1/2lbs), 3-0 (1), w pts 4 Carl Turney (156lbs 5oz), 0-13; Luke Middleton (155lbs 1oz), 2-11-1, d pts 4 George Rogers (155lbs 1oz), 0-0-1; Chris Davies (180lbs 5oz), 15-0 (1), w pts 4 Elvis Dube (185lbs 2oz), 10-87-2 (7).
F U L L R E S U LT S Kyle Lomotey (162 3/4lbs), 9-0 (1), w pts 6 Jan Ardon (162 3/4lbs), 2-8; Johnny Kiely (157 1/2lbs), 1-0, w pts 4 Jake Bray (157 1/2lbs), 0-1; Jake James (154 3/4lbs), 9-0 (2), w pts Angel Emilov (159lbs), 10-32 (6); Owen Kirk (157 1/2lbs), 1-0, w pts 4 Josh Hodgins (158lbs), 0-4; Lennox Lythgoe (125 1/4lbs), 1-0 (1), w rsf 2 Ricky Leach, 3-56-1; Rhys Woods (157 1/4lbs), 1-0, w pts 4 Lewis van Poetsch (172 lbs 5oz), 9-131-2 (2).
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ACTION ROUND-UP
HRGOVIC MARCHES ON SEPTEMBER 10 K L AG E N F U RT, AU S T R I A
Croatian heavyweight hope FILIP HRGOVIÈ, 13-0 (11), demolished hapless MARKO RADONJIC, 22-1 (22), in four rounds. Hrgovic put RadonjiÉ down four times in the second round and once more in the fourth and the fight was stopped. Too easy for HrgoviÉ against a fighter with a ridiculously padded record. In a fight made at light-heavyweight, JOHN RYDER, 30-5 (17), slowly broke down an overmatched JOZSEF JURKO, 8-3 (6), with the referee stopping the one-sided fight in round five. Unbeaten super-lightweight DALTON SMITH, 10-0 (7), outclassed Spaniard BRIAN PELAEZ, 10-6 (1), who despite cuts over both eyes survived to the last bell. Smith took the decision on scores of 99-91 from all three judges. German super-middleweight prospect ABBAS BARAOU, 9-1 (7), floored and stopped JAY SPENCER in the first round and Essex light-heavyweight JOHN HEDGES, 3-0, won on scores of 60-54 on the three cards against Croatian FRANE RADNIC 11-26 (10).
While Lejarraga wins a thriller in Barcelona, writes Eric Armit as he examines the best of the international action
E K AT E R I N B U R G , R U S S I A
A lightweight fight saw Russian ZAUR ABDULLAEV, 14-1 (8), take a wide unanimous decision over DEJAN ZLATIÊANIN, 24-3 (16). The five inches taller Abdullaev was able to use his longer reach to score at distance and although ZlatiËanin was competitive early he faded as the fight went on. Abdullaev eased his way to victory via scores of 119-109, 118-110 and 117111. A cruiserweight clash saw EVGENY TISCHENKO, 9-1 (6), floor DMITRY KUDRYASHOV in the first round and then outbox the strong but crude Kudryashov over the remaining rounds to emerge
PA R I S , F R A N C E
Frenchman MATHIEU BAUDERLIQUE, 21-1 (12), won the vacant European light-heavyweight title when Russian IGOR MIKHALKIN, 24-3 (11), was forced to retire after seven rounds due to a suspected fractured jaw. Bauderlique was dominating the fight before the finish. France’s heavyweight hope TONY YOKA, 11-0 (9), stopped Czech PETER MILAS in seven rounds. After an uninspired performance trying to hunt down an elusive Milas, who constantly orbited the ring and only occasionally looked to engage, Yoka finished in style, flooring twice to force the finish. Unbeaten superwelter SOULEYMANE CISSOKHO, 14-0 (9), outclassed game Russian ISMAIL ILIEV, 13-3-1 (3), bloodying and flooring him before Iliev retired at the end of the fourth round. Ukrainian heavyweight VLAYSLAV SIRENKO, 18-0 (15), put Russian ALEKSANDR USTINOV, 36-5-1 (27), down and out in the first round with a booming right cross.
suffer a gash on his eyelid and with the blood running into his eye the fight was stopped at the end of the 10th round, with the decision being decided on the scorecards. They had Lejarraga in front 96-94 on two with the third reading 95-95. Local fighter MARY ROMERO, 7-2 (1), retained the European Female super-bantamweight title when England’s AMY TIMLIN, 4-1-1, was forced to retire after eight rounds due to a cut that had handicapped her from the opening round. Experienced super-featherweight KIKO MARTÍNEZ, 42-10-2 (29), kept busy with a comfortable victory over Honduran JAYRO DURAN, 14-10 (13). Martínez dropped Duran in the fifth and won on scores of 79-72 twice and 80-71.
the winner on scores of 100-89 twice and 99-91. Mexican JESSICA GONZALEZ, 8-5-2 (10), upset the odds as she edged out TATYANA ZRAZHEVSKAYA, 11-1 (3), at bantamweight, winning on scores of 98-93 and 96-94 with the third judging Zrazhevskaya the winner 96-94. Gonzalez had been 0-4-1 going into the fight. K R A S N O YA R S K , R U S S I A
ALEXANDER BESPUTIN, 15-0,1NC (11), outscored Mexican MAURICIO PINTOR, 24-4-1 (14), over the first four rounds and then dropped Pintor twice in the fifth, with Pintor being counted out on the second knockdown. The No Contest on Besputin’s record was the result of a positive test for a banned substance following his victory over Radzhab Butaev in November 2019. Pintor is the nephew of the great Lupe Pintor. SEPTEMBER 12 N U R - S U LTA N , K A Z A K H S TA N
Kazak super-middleweight AIDOS YERBOSSYNULY, 16-0 (11), knocked out LENNOX ALLEN, 22-2-1 (14), in the 10th round of their fight here. Yerbossynuly was just too strong for Allen who was cut over his left eye in the fourth and deducted a point for a low blow in the eighth. In the 10th, Yerbossynuly drove Allen to a corner and bombarded him with punches until Allen collapsed to his hands and knees and was counted out.
Photo: MARK ROBINSON MATCHROOM
DECORATED: Lejarraga wins his second European title, this time at 154lbs
SEPTEMBER 11 B A R C E LO N A , S PA I N
Spain’s KERMAN LEJARRAGA, 33-2 (25), won the vacant European superwelterweight title with majority technical decision over Frenchman DYLAN CHARRAT, 20-1-1 (6). Charrat’s clever and quick boxing saw him build an early lead. Lejarraga’s pressure and body punches started to turn the fight his way until a clash of heads in the ninth saw Lejarraga
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SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 29
PREVIEWS
Previewing the best upcoming fights around the world
+ + + + + O U T S TA N D I N G + + + + G O O D + + + FA I R + + D I S A P P O I N T I N G + RU B B I S H T h e s t a r r a t i n g s i n d i c a t e h o w w e l l t h e w r i t e r b e l i e v e s t h e f i g h t e r s m a t c h u p, t h e f i g h t ( s ) ’ c o n t e x t u a l s i g n i f i c a n c e , a n d h o w g o o d t h e f i g h t ( s ) w i l l b e Photo: SCOTT HEAVEY/GETTY IMAGES
CONFIDENT: Ali meets Gorst off the back of his best win to date and is the favourite
Kash Ali seems to be coming of age while Tommy Frank scraps Matt Windle for domestic supremacy, writes Matt Bozeat +++++ WHOLE SHOW
OTHERHAM heavyweight Kash Ali headlines in Sheffield on Saturday night. Fightzone screens a show from Ponds Forge Arena that also features local favourite Tommy Frank facing Birmingham’s Matt Windle for the vacant British flyweight championship. Frank-Windle is a tough one to pick, while Ali starts a warm favourite to beat former German champion Roman Gorst (7-1) over 10. In truth, it looks a good match for Ali, who’s coming off a confidence-boosting win in May. Tomas Salek came from the Czech Republic with a 15-2 (13) record, was a good size, and Ali thrashed him inside three rounds, bloodying his nose, cutting his eye and dropping him twice with uppercuts. That looks the best result on Ali’s 19-1 record. The 29-year-old has won all four (three early) since he panicked against David Price in March, 2019, and got himself thrown out for biting. He possibly could have done with fights against Salek and Gorst – limited fighters with flattering records and leaky defences – to build belief before jumping in with Price. Lee Carter (1-4), Phil Williams (1-4) and Colin Goldhawk (2-2) were no preparation for Price, but Ali was confident having sparred the Liverpudlian and there was possibly also the feeling that, after eight years as a pro, it was time to roll the dice. Ali has since teamed up with trainer, and former heavyweight contender, Richard Towers, and their four fights together include a 58-57 win over domestic gatekeeper Kamil Sokolowski (8-16-2) that suggests there’s work to do. Sokolowski would be fancied to beat Gorst, a 32-year-old from Passau who has six early wins on his record, four inside two rounds. His limitations were exposed by Peter Kadiru (9-0) over 10 rounds last October. The capable Kadiru has long arms and a tight guard and Gorst spent most of the fight either on the outside trying to avoid jabs or up close punching arms and
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QUALITY SPARRING: Frank [right] and Jack Bateson pose after a session
HELPING OUT BATESON was drafted in to help Tommy Frank, and vice-versa. Bateson was preparing for his September 4 bout and will now cheer on Frank this weekend. Conner Kensall, preparing to return on September 17, is another who Frank spars regularly.
gloves. Gorst was shaken up in the early rounds after being punished for throwing lazy jabs and after that, he didn’t throw many jabs and instead tried to rush Kadiru every now and then. Nothing Gorst tried brought him much success and Kadiru may have forced the stoppage had he gone through the gears. That loss cost Gorst, twice beaten by strong North Londoner Jeamie Tshikeva as an amateur, the German title he had won by outpointing Boris Estenfelder (11-1-1) on a split points vote. Listed as 6ft 1ins on BoxRec, Gorst looks an inch or so taller than that, but still Ali has all the physical advantages. He has a fast, long jab that he will fancy he can use to keep Gorst on the outside and Ali will have noticed that Kadiru was able to run Gorst onto an uppercut in the last and shake him up. That’s a punch Ali used effectively against Salek and my guess is he can become the first to stop Gorst around the midway mark. Frank (13-2) and Windle (6-3-1) know each other well having sparred numerous times, firstly when they were amateurs. Frank is coming off a narrow loss to Mexico’s Rosendo Hugo Guarneros (193-2) in their rematch in June that came seven days after Windle recorded the
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best win of his career. That 12-rounder with Neil McCubbin (5-0) at lightflyweight is a shoo-in for a top five spot in the domestic fight-of-the-year polls. Both were shaken up and cut in the opening two rounds and the backand-forth drama went on with Windle scoring a fifth-round knockdown and then having to hold in the ninth after
being tagged. It was Windle who lasted the pace better, keeping his boxing together in the last three rounds to win unanimously by scores of 114-113, 116111 and 117-110. Windle had lost his previous two, but the defeats to David Seymour and Ijaz Ahmed for the Midlands flyweight title were desperately close. Ahmed last month drew with Quaise Khademi for the vacant British title up at 115lbs. Frank held the Commonwealth super-flyweight title, had a scare against Thailand’s Aran Dipaen (6-1) and dropped down to 112lbs. He has a size advantage on the night. At 5ft 7ins, Frank is three inches taller and while he has fought up at 115lbs, Windle scaled 107 ½lbs for his last fight. Windle believes Frank will put it on him, the way he put it on Luke Wilton (20-5-1) when winning the vacant Commonwealth super-flyweight title in March, 2019, and expects the toughest fight of his career. The Midlander will take confidence from the way Granados was able to outwork Frank in their rematch. Windle showed against McCubbin that he can fight at a high tempo for 12 rounds, but we go for Frank’s size to be decisive. At super-featherweight, Grimsby’s unbeaten Levi Giles is rightly the favourite to beat Willenhall’s Shaun Cooper in a 10-rounder for the vacant Midlands Area title. But this also represents a step up for Giles, 9-0 (3). Cooper, 10-2, has fought far better opposition and should not be written off. THE VERDICT Solid domestic show with some top matchmaking from Jason McClory. GETTING READY: Windle [left] with Liverpool’s Blane Hyland
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IN THEIR OWN WORDS
‘EVERY TIME I LOST, I BECAME BETTER’
Mark Prince didn’t like what he saw in the mirror when he emerged from a night on crack with nothing to show for his life. From that point on, any adversity he encountered, whether in life or in a boxing ring, only made him stronger INTERVIEW: ELLIOT WORSELL
BOXING came into my life as early as eight or nine years old but didn’t become a thing until I was 21. There’s a massive disparity between the day I knew about it and the day I took it seriously. I always grew up with people saying to me, “Are you going to box like your dad?” But our dad never spoke about us being boxers and never pushed us into becoming boxers. We were brought up in a country that did not like or welcome black people and I was getting it (abuse) left, right and centre. Whether I was walking down the street or sitting in class, it didn’t matter. Grownups, teachers, people I didn’t know. It didn’t matter whether it was because of hatred or because of ignorance, I got it. That was what it was like growing up and I think my dad realised the importance of us knowing how to take care of ourselves. That’s what my dad placed into my spirit from a very early age and it wasn’t done softly-softly, either. It was pretty tough. I had him to be punching with and I had my older brother. I didn’t have anyone breaking me in or telling me to take my time. I did it daily. I’d come home from school and start skipping, shadowboxing, or hitting the bag. We sparred each other as well. That was what growing up was like for us. Boxing then became a ‘thing’ for me when I one day looked in the mirror after spending the previous night sucking on a crack pipe with my friends. I had
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woken up having missed the whole day. I got back about seven in the morning, slept the whole day, and woke up again and it was nighttime. I thought, Is this what your life has become? I just felt like what they call a ‘wasteman’. What have I accomplished? I have two children. I had been providing for them but even that was through criminal activity. I didn’t feel I had achieved anything to be proud of. I was suddenly engulfed by this sense of change and my displeasure with myself far exceeded the pleasure of doing what I wanted when I wanted. I felt this weight of disappointment. Why was I living this life? Had I even tried to do better? Why do you believe without trying you can’t make it or become a success or a role model? Why do you believe you can’t earn whatever it is you want to earn just because you’re from Tottenham and you didn’t leave school with great results? It was just the wrong way to think, so I decided to do something about it. I thought I could go to uni. I had gone to college and tried to do electrical engineering. But I ended up smashing this guy up, who was about six or seven years older than me, and a lot taller than me. He did something that I thought was a violation and I ended up having to run out of the college because the police came and I was going to get nicked. He was in a mess. There was blood everywhere. One of the teachers thought I’d used a knife but I didn’t carry knives. I just smashed him up, basically. It was out of fear as well. He was so big and he had a big name behind him. My
violence came from the fear of what he could do to me. I feared he could smash me up and make me look like a t**t in front of everyone. So, I messed up that education plan and, although I thought about trying again, knew it would take a long time. I thought, Okay, what do I have that I can do and it can lead to quick financial change? I thought maybe boxing could be it. When I thought about boxing, it just felt right. It was then all about remembering what my dad had done. My dad had always been asking me, “What are you doing?” But obviously I couldn’t tell him, because I was making money illegally. He would say, “Why don’t you come running with me?” I’d think to myself, Mate, I’m in no state to go running. I drink too much, smoke too much and take too many drugs. But obviously I couldn’t tell him that, either. That was the reason I never took up my dad’s offer before that. But I now didn’t let anything get in the way – even my lifestyle. I thought I could reverse it. I was 21 and thought if I began training and got rid of this lifestyle I could do something greater. I had nine amateur fights in total. Eight wins, seven knockouts. I was a novice. I did not want to waste time getting punched in the face for free. I had to provide for my children. It wasn’t about representing my country. It was about representing my family. One of the best fights I had as a pro was against Michael Gale (in February 1997). I knew that I wasn’t ready for that
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PROUD MOMENT: Prince was awarded an OBE in 2019 Photos: DOMINIC LIPINSKI - WPA POOL/GETTY IMAGES
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SEPTEMBER 16, 2020 O BOXING NEWS O 33
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Photos: GETTY IMAGES
fight. I hadn’t prepared my body right. I forgot what was going on in my personal life and just thought, I need this win and I have to take the fight, but God help me. I just knew I’d have to go through stuff to get the win. I didn’t feel right and wasn’t my normal self. All I had was grit and determination. I even looked different. My body didn’t look rich and strong. My muscles didn’t look the same. There’s a difference between just making weight and doing the process properly. My body looked different from when I built it up with a lot of strength training and stuff like that. I realised by round five I was really weak and weary. When he put me through that tough (sixth) round I was finished. There could never have been a round seven. It had to be the last round. Something had to go down. Either he had to go down or I had to go down. Thank God it was him and not me. His corner sent him out and said he was going to be stopped on cuts if he didn’t go out there and stop me. He was determined to do that and I felt that determination. He wouldn’t let me hold. He wouldn’t let me do anything. I remember thinking, I’ve got to knock this
WIN NO. 17: Prince celebrates after beating Wayne Hankins in Sheffield in 1997
‘MY BODY DIDN’T LOOK RICH AND STRONG. MY MUSCLES DIDN’T LOOK THE SAME’ guy out while he’s coming for me. I remember him coming in and thinking I was finished. I was going back and he must have thought, Yes, I’ve got him! But he didn’t realise I’m like a sleeping dog. I remember Glen McCrory saying, “He wasn’t even looking.” But I didn’t need to look. It’s like knowing where the ropes are when you’re going back. This is what you do. I just dropped a straight right hand down the pipe and then he dropped. It was very well-planned. Even the left hook that I nailed him with to finish it, which was worrying because he banged his head on the canvas when he dropped, was the result of me throwing a jab, a tired and a lazy one, which he slipped but my hand was still there for a split second and I thought, He hasn’t blocked. I could just turn this into a left hook. He didn’t get back up. As for my WBO title fight with Dariusz Michalczewski (in September 1998), I was so inexperienced, in so many areas, that it allowed me to take that fight. On one hand I had big kahunas, because you need those to accept a fight against a guy like Dariusz, but to go from not even
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fighting for the British title to fighting a world champion of that stature was huge. I didn’t care by then. Certain things happened in my personal life that made me make a decision. I kind of lost faith in some of the people around me and I just thought I’d make the decision myself. When Frank (Warren, promoter) offered me it, I knew I shouldn’t have taken it. But I was like, I don’t give a s**t, I’m taking the fight. What I should have done was taken the (Chris) Eubank fight. That was more exciting to me. But I was advised to not take Mickey Mouse money, which is what scrapped that Eubank fight. In my heart, though, I really wanted to take it. That would have made me a household name. I remember being in there against Dariusz and thinking, What the hell, can this guy see everything I’m about to throw? He just seemed so formidable. I was boxing out of my skin and most people say it was my best fight. But Dariusz was a consummate professional. He read punches and even if he got hit – I was probably hitting him one out of four – he would somehow ride it really well. I learnt so much from fighting him. It made me a better fighter. Defence started becoming something I realised was my offence. Staying on top of a fighter without doing anything puts pressure on them. They have to punch. That’s what Dariusz’s secret was. He stayed in range, he stayed in the pocket, and he made you feel like you’ve got to try to get rid of this guy. You are then fighting at his pace. I cried after the fight. My family had come to Germany and I was gutted I had lost. That was what I had climbed the mountain for. But I knew in my heart of hearts I’d gone all this way and met someone at the top of the mountain and it shouldn’t have gone like that. It went all wrong. There were too many mistakes made and I don’t think my mind was on it the way it should have been. I wanted to fight more, and was begging Frank, but just couldn’t get the fight. The last thing I needed was 14 months out of the ring. That’s 14 months away from how I felt when I lost and the way I felt when I lost was wow, you were in the ring with a guy who was probably among the top 10 pound-forpound fighters in the world. You gave a good account of yourself for the time you were in there. If you get it right next time, think about what you could do. I should’ve been getting back in the ring immediately and demonstrating what I’d learnt from that loss. But it didn’t happen like that. Fourteen months later, I was offered
POINTS SUCCESS: then take another year to a Johnny Nelson fight and Prince outscores heal up from that and your thought, No, that doesn’t Kenny Whack in knee starts to go back to make sense. Johnny is a bit of April, 1998 some sort of normality. It was a runner. How does it make a tough, tough time. You get sense to jump in the ring with depressed. My marriage was falling apart. a runner and a spoiler 14 months after There was no money coming in. What losing to Dariusz? He was ring fit – Frank am I going to do to reinvent myself now? kept him fighting like once a month – I was a boxer. If I’m no longer that guy, and I thought that’s not a clever fight. I’ll who am I? knock this guy out but I need to be ring fit as well. I needed a few fights first. When I returned to the ring at 45, I was That didn’t seem to fit into Frank’s a completely different person. Even all plan, so I called it quits. I left Frank at that my fears I had when fighting previously point and we left on good terms. He said, had gone. Fighting was now a pleasure “Any time you change your mind, let me whereas before it had always been a battle know.” I was never a pain to work with. I for me. I had a love-hate relationship had a lot of love for Frank. with it. I had to do it, it gave me some I had contact with significance, but I battled with the anxiety Jackie Kallen, Don King, and the adrenaline and the fears and and even Roy Jones’ doubts. There was always that going on. people regarding a fight Also, you’ve got the pressure of trying to against him. But I then protect your zero. What would happen if injured my knee – it I lost? But the only thing that happened popped out of its socket when I lost was that I became better. – and that put paid to any What was amazing was how I conversation with any processed every adversity that came promoter and any chance about in my life the way I processed a of me getting back in loss in boxing. Whatever I lost, even the the ring anytime soon. loss of my own flesh and blood, my son, That’s when my whole life I was still holding on to the same thread. changed. What could I learn? How could I become The consultant said it was one of the better? What do I do now? How does worst knee injuries he’d ever seen. All this affect my purpose? What impact my ligaments had been ripped up. He does it have on my future? described it as an elastic band with no The same strategy was being used in elastic in it. He said they had to put a every situation. It didn’t matter whether bolt in the side and use someone else’s it was a boxing arena or a grieving tendon to get it stronger. He said I arena or a depression arena or an injury couldn’t fight at world level anymore. arena, and whatever audience was there That was his opinion. I didn’t need to watching, I never changed. I kept growing take his opinion. It wasn’t the truth. It and becoming better as a person. I wasn’t gospel. But I didn’t understand that might have had to reframe the story and at the time and it broke my heart. It tore recreate myself and what I was doing, but my world up. the core strategy I used never changed. I watched myself healing for the next I always asked questions of myself and three years – my knee was crap most of gave myself the space and time to sit the time – and in 2002 I got surgery. You down alone. bn
‘DEFENCE STARTED BECOMING SOMETHING I REALISED WAS MY OFFENCE’
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THE APPALLING END TO FOREMAN Steve Gray’s refusal to respect the wishes of Lewis Ritson’s corner and stop the June 12 fight in which Ritson was taking a beating brings to mind an even more egregious example of a fighter being needlessly endangered Photo: AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES
By THOMAS HAUSER
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N JUNE 5, 2010, at Yankee Stadium, Yuri Foreman defended his 154-pound WBA championship against Miguel Cotto. Foreman was a Chabad rabbinical student and the first practising Orthodox Jew to win a world title since Jackie “Kid” Berg in 1932. He was also the first Israeli citizen ever to win a championship belt. Foreman’s ethnicity was central to the promotion of Foreman-Cotto. In that spirit, I’d planned to report on the fight in the form of a column explaining the action to my 84-year-old Jewish mother. “Foreman and trainer Joe Grier shmoozed in the corner between rounds. ‘You want I should throw the jab?’ Yuri asked.” If there was a controversial decision, I could write that the loser was “kvetching about the judges.” If Yuri won, co-managers Murray Wilson and Alan Cohen would be “kvelling” with pride. The sanctioning body officials would be labeled “no-goodniks.” Then reality intervened in the form of what I believe was a gross error in officiating by referee Arthur Mercante that requires serious commentary. Let’s put the matter in context. Foreman was born in Belarus. His family moved to Israel when he was 11. “At first it was difficult,” Yuri recalled. “I was missing my friends. And sometimes in Israel, there was discrimination between the Russians and the Jews. The Russians were also Jewish, but the Israelis would call us Russians and say we didn’t deserve to be there, so there would be fights in school between the immigrants and the Israelis.” Foreman learned the rudiments of boxing in an outdoor lot. There was no ring, not even a heavy bag. “They wouldn’t give us a gym because we were just Russians,” he said. “We went to City Hall and begged for a place to hang a bag and put up a ring. All they told us was, ‘Go box with the Arabs.’ So finally I went to the Arab gym. The first time I walked in, I saw the stares. In their eyes, there was a lot of hatred. But I needed to box. And boy, did they all want to box me. But after a while, the wall that was between us melted. We all wanted the same thing. I traveled with them as teammates. It helped that I won almost all the time. And finally, we became friends.” In Israel, Foreman was a three-time national amateur champion. In 2001, he came to New York to pursue a career in professional boxing. He turned pro in 2002, compiled a 28-0 record and, on November 14, 2009, defeated Daniel Santos to claim the WBA superwelterweight title. The key to Yuri’s style was to move constantly and use his legs to keep an opponent at long range. Footwork was crucial to everything he did. He was hard to hit and threw a lot of punches that kept
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opponents off balance. He boxed more than he fought. In 28 bouts, he had scored only eight knockouts. His trainer was Joe Grier (a former police officer who fought professionally in the 1970s). And there’s another piece of information that’s relevant. Yuri wore a brace on his right knee when he fought. “It’s for an old injury,” he said. “When I was 15, I fell off a bike.” Foreman was promoted by Top Rank, whose CEO (Bob Arum) has visions and implements them. As long as a fighter performs in the ring, Top Rank can get him to the dance. In this instance, the dance was Foreman versus Miguel Cotto at Yankee Stadium. A win for Yuri would establish him as a star in the boxing firmament. Outdoor fights in mammoth stadiums are part of American boxing lore, and stadium venue was a key element in promoting the fight. The other hook was Foreman’s Israeli citizenship and status as a rabbinical student. That distinction made him a magnet for publicity in the weeks leading up to the bout. Yuri was the grand marshall in New York’s annual “Salute to Israel Parade”. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal ran feature articles about him. The New York Daily News referred to Yuri and his wife, Leyla, as “the Brangelina of boxing.” Foreman’s ring walk, the media was told, would be preceded by the sounding of the shofar (a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used in Jewish religious rites). “There will be two highlights for me on fight night other than the fight,” Arum
proclaimed. “One will be when they play Hatikva (the Israeli national anthem) for the first time ever in the old or new Yankee Stadium. The other will be when Yuri begins his ring walk to the sound of the shofar. That’s something that has never been seen or heard in the whole long history of boxing. We are very fortunate to have Israel’s number one entertainer, Yoni Dror of Tel Aviv, attending the fight to sound the shofar. Yoni is beyond compare when it comes to sounding the shofar.” Yoni was also Arum’s nephew. On the day of the fight, Foreman observed the Sabbath (from sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday) in a Manhattan hotel room. He left the hotel at 9.08pm and drove with a police escort to Yankee Stadium. In his dressing room, he taped an eight-footlong Israeli flag over the lockers at one end of the room. Then he took a Bible from his gym bag and bowed his head while reading from the Book of Psalms. Five minutes later, he kissed the book and put it back in his gym bag. Top Rank’s international television feed could be seen and heard on a TV set in the dressing room. Yuri stood silently as Hatikva was sung, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. The referee for Foreman-Cotto was Arthur Mercante Jnr (son of Hall of Fame referee Arthur Mercante). Arthur Snr was known throughout the boxing community as a man of integrity and competence. Over the years, his son had developed his own body of work.
The first part of Foreman-Cotto boiled down to boxing basics. Miguel was the aggressor. Yuri sought to stem the tide with lateral movement and enough punches of his own to keep Cotto from rolling over him. Foreman’s punches stung. Miguel’s were the harder blows. Cotto appeared to be more concerned with finding Yuri than he was with getting hit. The third round saw the first of what would be several strange acts by Mercante. With 1-42 left in the stanza, Foreman’s mouthpiece fell out of his mouth. Arthur saw it and immediately picked it up. There was a lengthy lull in the action, but he didn’t call time. Instead, he waited more than a minute before leading Foreman to Cotto’s corner. Emanuel Steward protested that he was the wrong guy to rinse the mouthpiece and put it back in, that Yuri wasn’t his fighter. “No! No! You clean it,” Mercante ordered. That was a clear departure from boxing protocol. Round four was Foreman’s best round of the fight. He landed several hard lead right hands after feinting with his jab and won the stanza on each judge’s scorecard. Round five belonged to Cotto. Round six was close. Halfway through the scheduled 12 rounds, Miguel was ahead 59-55, 59-55, and 58-56 on the scorecards. Yuri had a bloody nose and a cut on his left eyelid. But he was still in the fight. Then things got crazy. Forty-five seconds into round seven, as
CONTROVERSY: Mercante was accused of pleasing the Yankee Stadium crowd rather than protecting WKH ȴJKWHU XQGHU KLV FDUH
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Foreman was moving laterally to his right along the ring perimeter, his right knee gave way and he fell hard to the canvas. He rose in obvious pain, hobbling when he tried to walk. “Walk it off, champ,” Mercante told him. “Suck it up, kid. I’ll give you five minutes.” Then he asked, “Is it your ankle?” Given the fact that Yuri was wearing a knee brace, an ankle injury wasn’t the most likely possibility. Foreman said no. “Is it your knee?” Yuri nodded. “Suck it up, kid,” Mercante repeated. Less than a minute after Foreman went down, the action resumed. At that point, Yuri was a seriously compromised fighter. Forty-five seconds later, again with no punch being thrown, his knee buckled and he fell once more to the canvas. “Oh, shit,” Mercante muttered. His words sounded as though they were spoken more in anger than out of concern for the fighter. “Suck it up,” he said. “Do you want more time? You’re a game guy. Do you want to go?” Foreman appeared to be in no condition to fight, but he was a champion with a champion’s heart. Mercante instructed that the action resume. With one minute left in round seven, a Cotto left hook knocked out Yuri’s mouthpiece. Mercante let the entire round finish without giving the mouthpiece to the corner to put back in. Mercante’s handling of round seven was bad. His conduct in round eight was worse. Joe Grier readied Foreman for the eighth round in the hope that Yuri could regain his mobility. But it was quickly clear that, not only couldn’t he move to avoid punches, he couldn’t get power on his own blows. At the 1-30 mark, while trying to move laterally, he staggered and almost fell again. “I knew then that it was a serious injury and that it wasn’t something he could recover from,” Grier said afterward. “Yuri had no mobility and he couldn’t get leverage on his punches. He was just a target.” At that point, following proper procedure, Grier asked Ernie Morales (the New York State Athletic Commission inspector assigned to Foreman’s corner) to tell Mercante that he wanted to stop the fight. Morales stood on the ring apron to get Mercante’s attention. Arthur admitted after the fight that he saw and heard the inspector. And he knew that Morales was assigned to Foreman’s corner because he’d seen him in Yuri’s dressing room when he gave the fighter his pre-fight instructions. But Mercante pointedly ignored the request. “Yuri was starting to get banged up,” Grier recounted later. “He couldn’t properly defend himself because he only had one leg. The referee wasn’t listening to the inspector. I had to get it stopped. I asked if I could throw the towel in, and the inspector said ‘go ahead.’” With 1-15 left in round eight, Grier threw a white towel into the ring. Both trainers
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came through the ropes to embrace their respective fighters. Then Mercante did a disservice to boxing. If he had doubts as to where the towel came from, he could have asked Grier if he’d thrown it in. Grier would have answered, “Yes, sir.” The responsible thing for Mercante to say in response would have been, “Okay; the fight is over.” But that’s not what happened. Instead, Mercante shouted, “Everybody out of the ring. I don’t want the towel. The corner is not throwing in the towel [apparently, he knew it came from the corner].” Then he turned to Foreman and asked, “You all right, champ?” Obviously, Foreman wasn’t all right. “You’re fighting hard. I don’t want to see a move like that. Suck it up. Walk it off.” The action resumed. But as Grier said, Foreman was no longer able to properly defend himself. The fight was clearly unwinnable. In fact, it was no longer a professional prizefight. It was a beating. Foreman’s knee gave way and he staggered several more times before the end of the round. After the eighth stanza, Mercante went to Foreman’s corner. “Who threw in the towel?” he demanded. “I did,” Grier told him. Mercante turned and walked away. He didn’t even talk with Foreman. Grier, understanding that he’d been forbidden to stop the fight, reluctantly readied his charge for the ninth round. Thirty seconds into round nine, Cotto landed a hook to the body. Yuri’s knee gave out again and he fell to the canvas. Finally, Mercante stopped the bout. In the dressing room after the fight, Foreman was disappointed but accepting of what had happened. “I felt a lot of pain,” he said. “It was very sharp and my knee was weak. I didn’t want to stop the fight, but I couldn’t box like I had to. If the leg was fine, I would stay in my game plan. Without the leg, I couldn’t move and I had no leverage on my punches.” Grier thanked Ernie Morales for doing what he could to stop the fight. “The inspector did the right thing, and so did I,” Joe said. “I’d throw the towel in again if I had it to do over. All that happened after that was, Yuri took unnecessary punishment. He was fighting with dignity, but he only had one leg. I wanted it to stop while he was still on his feet, not down on the canvas. I know you’re not supposed to throw a towel in. I told the inspector I wanted them to stop the fight. The inspector told the referee. And the referee told them to keep fighting. What else was I supposed to do?” Arthur Mercante came in the room to congratulate Foreman on his courage.
“You should have stopped it,” Yuri’s wife, Leyla, said. “He wasn’t going to get hurt,” Mercante countered. “You don’t know that.” “Each time he collapsed, he got back up, throwing punches.” “It made no sense,” Leyla pressed. “What did you expect was going to happen? Nothing was going to change. There was not going to be a miracle that he could start to move again.” Mercante left the dressing room; but not before pointing to several text messages he’d received on his cell phone telling him that the HBO commentators had praised his work during the fight. Yuri lay down on a rubdown table, and a doctor put the first of seven stitches in his left eyelid. Six days later, he underwent knee surgery at NYU Medical Center to repair a torn miniscus muscle and rebuild his anterior cruciate ligament. Subsequent to the fight, New York State Athletic Commission chairperson Melvina Lathan praised Mercante for his handling of the contest. “I think Arthur did a remarkable job,” Lathan told writer Michael Woods. “He did what he was supposed to do. He knows the rules. He responded appropriately. All in all, it was a magical evening of boxing.” I have a different opinion. I think that Mercante’s handling of the fight was appalling. Let’s start with some facts. Early in round seven, as previously noted, Foreman’s knee gave way and he fell to the canvas. He rose, debilitated and in obvious pain. New York State is a member of the Association of Boxing Commissions. Section 33 of the Referee Rules and Guidelines adopted by the ABC in 2008 states, “The referee must consult with the ringside physician in all accidental injury cases. The referee, in conjunction with the ringside physician, will determine the length of time needed to evaluate the affected boxer and his or her suitability to continue. If the injured boxer is not adversely affected and their chance of winning has not been seriously jeopardized because of the injury, the bout may be allowed to continue.” Foreman’s injury “seriously jeopardized” his chance of winning the fight. Mercante is an intelligent man, so presumably he understood that. Also, Mercante failed at that juncture to consult with Dr. Rick Weinstein (an orthopedic surgeon, who was the ringside physician in Yuri’s corner) as required by Rule 33. Instead, he urged Foreman to “walk it off” and “suck it up,” and let the fight continue. When Foreman’s knee buckled and he collapsed again less than a minute later, Mercante followed the same procedure.
NOT ONLY COULDN’T HE MOVE TO AVOID PUNCHES, HE COULDN’T GET POWER ON HIS OWN BLOWS”
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AGGRESSOR: Cotto has no problem landing punches on Foreman
SUCK IT UP: Foreman’s knee repeatedly gave out yet Mercante ignored pleas to VWRS WKH ȴJKW and told Yuri to ȆZDON LW Rȇ DQG ‘suck it up’
The key to Foreman’s success as a fighter is his mobility. In rounds one through six of the fight, Cotto had landed an average of 11 punches per round. In round seven, with a disabled fighter in front of him, he landed 29, including 27 “power” punches. Joe Grier understood Foreman’s fighting heart and wanted to give him every reasonable opportunity to win. But as round eight progressed, it was clear to Grier that Yuri’s injury was not something that the fighter could “walk off” and that it would only get worse. Corner inspectors are the eyes and ears of the commission. They don’t have the authority to stop a fight. But they do have the authority to tell the referee that a fighter’s corner wants the fight stopped. Midway through round eight, when Yuri staggered and almost fell again, Grier asked inspector Ernie Morales to tell the referee that he wanted to stop the fight. Morales relayed the request. Mercante refused to honor it. At that point, with the inspector’s permission, Grier threw a white towel into the ring. I’m hard-pressed to think of another instance when a chief second asked that a fight be stopped (let alone, an instance when a fighter was hobbling around the ring on a severely injured leg) and the referee refused to stop it. After the fight, when Mercante was interviewed by Max Kellerman on HBO, he was evasive, as evidenced by the following colloquy: Kellerman: “Do you know who threw in the towel?” Mercante: “At the moment, I didn’t know.” Kellerman: “Do you know who it is now?” Mercante: “I kind of know.” Kind of? After round eight, Mercante had gone to the corner and demanded, “Who threw in the towel?” “I did,” Grier told him. Arthur didn’t ask, “Why?” He didn’t say, “Tell me what you’re thinking.” He turned and walked away. If that’s standard protocol in New York, then New York needs to overhaul its standards. After the fight, one of the things that Mercante said in support of his decision was, “There was no need to stop the fight. They were in the middle of a great fight. That’s what the fans came to see.” But referees are taught from day one, “You don’t worry about the crowd. You’re there to ensure a fair fight and protect the fighters. You do what you have to do to fulfill these obligations whether or not it makes the crowd happy.” Shame on anyone who thought that seeing a one-legged fighter get beaten up was “entertainment.” Here, one might also note that Mercante was the referee on the night of June 26, 2001, when Beethavean Scottland fought George “Khalid” Jones in a bout that was nationally televised from the flight deck of the U.S.S. Intrepid. Scottland took a beating.
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On three occasions in three different rounds, there were cries from the crowd that the bout should be stopped. In round 10, he was knocked unconscious. He died six days later. Larry Hazzard is uniquely situated to comment on Foreman-Cotto, having been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of a Fame for his body of work as both a referee and chairman of the New Jersey Board of Athletic Control. “Normally, I don’t comment on situations involving a referee and a commission,” Hazzard said after Foreman-Cotto. “And I don’t like to criticise. But I’d be doing a disservice to the boxing community if I didn’t speak out. The most important mission of the referee is to protect the health and safety of the fighter. Fighters are in danger every time they step into the ring. It’s the referee’s job to protect them when the danger becomes too great. The referee’s mission is not to tell the fighter, ‘Suck it up. Walk it off.’ “Walk it off? What does that mean?” Hazzard continued. “The referee should have called in the doctor when the fighter’s knee gave out. Instead, the referee, on his own, made a medical decision that the fighter should continue. That’s why we have a doctor in each corner. You call time and consult with the doctor. How can anyone argue with that? And how can you overrule the trainer when he wants to stop the fight? Nobody knows a fighter better than his trainer. When the inspector came up on the ring apron and told the referee that the trainer wanted the fight to be over, that should have been it. When Mercante threw the inspector out of the ring, he was throwing all the rules and a hundred years of boxing out of the ring. Right then, someone should have taken the fight out of his hands; because clearly, at that point, he wasn’t acting properly. I hate to be this critical. But the way this fight was handled was horrible. In the whole history of boxing, to my knowledge, nothing like this has ever happened before. And it should never happen again.” Don Turner has been honored as “trainer of the year” by the Boxing Writers’ Association of America. “I didn’t see the fight,” Turner acknowledged. “But I heard about it. First, let me tell you about Joe Grier. He’s a good trainer; he cares about his fighters; and he’s a great guy. Second thing; the only problem I have with Joe Grier in this situation is that he was too nice a guy. If it had been me in there with my fighter and the referee told me I couldn’t stop the fight, there would have been a bigger fight between me and the referee. All trainers want to win. The trainer does everything he can to keep his fighter in the fight. But the trainer knows better than anyone else when his fighter is in trouble and when a fight should be stopped. When the trainer reaches that conclusion, it’s not about asking the fighter, ‘How do you feel about me stopping the fight?’ When the trainer says ‘that’s all,’ the fight is over.” Finally, there was Emanuel Steward, respected throughout the boxing community as a trainer and HBO commentator. Steward had a unique view of Foreman-Cotto. He was in Miguel’s corner as the drama unfolded.
“I usually defend referees,” Steward said. “It’s a hard job. And to be honest; I don’t like to say things that upset officials because they might hold it against me down the road. But I’ll talk about this because it was horrible. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a referee do a job that bad. First, the referee was out of position all through the fight. No one is talking about that. Then there was the mouthpiece thing. That was crazy. And when the towel came in; that was awful. There are things we have in boxing to protect fighters from their own courage. There’s the referee, the ring doctor, and the fighter’s corner. The fighter’s corner has always been able to stop a fight. The trainer knows his fighter better than the referee does. We’re not stupid. If the trainer wants to stop the fight, you stop the fight. Yuri could have been killed. One punch can do it. And it was obvious to everyone except the referee that Yuri couldn’t defend himself. Even if Joe Grier didn’t want to stop the fight, the referee should have stopped it.” “If it was my fighter and I wanted to stop it,” Steward concluded, “we would have had a real confrontation, in the ring right then and there. The referee could say anything he wanted. I’d have told him, ‘I don’t care what you say. The fight is over.’ I have no idea what the man was thinking. The fighter’s life was at risk. A bad call in another sport can cost you a point or maybe lose the game. Boxing is a whole different sport. If a referee doesn’t understand that, he has a serious problem. The whole thing was weird and scary. This wasn’t one bad spur-of-the-moment decision. Everything was wrong. There was bad refereeing and irrational behavior all night long. I’ve never seen anything like it before, and I hope I never see anything like it again.” There are those who say that it was appropriate to allow Foreman-Cotto to continue because Yuri had earned the right to “go out on his shield.” That translates into, “Yuri had no chance to win. But the referee should have allowed him get to beaten up, rip open the cut on his left eyelid, shred whatever remained that was holding his right knee in place, and maybe get knocked unconscious. Then, since there were no shields at ringside, he could have been carried out on a stretcher.” Foreman didn’t need that to establish his courage. It’s not a hard concept to grasp. If a fighter is hurt and his chief second wants to stop the fight, the referee should stop the fight. People can agree or disagree with me. But that’s how I felt then. And more than a decade later, I still feel very strongly about it. bn Thomas Hauser’s email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His most recent book – Staredown: Another Year Inside Boxing – was published by the University of Arkansas Press. In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism. In 2019, Hauser was selected for boxing’s highest honour – induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
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SOCIAL IMPACT Boxing clubs can access a new programme of support to help their communities overcome mental health challenges
NGLAND BOXING clubs can access a new programme that uses the sport to help young people overcome behavioural issues and mental health problems. The programme has been pioneered by Empire Fighting Chance, the charity developed by the Empire Amateur Boxing Club in Bristol, which over its history has adopted an impressive approach to addressing school exclusion as well as anti-social and criminal behaviour among young people. Now clubs affiliated to England Boxing can receive free support and a training package delivered by the Empire Fighting
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Chance team. This will consist of a twoday in-person training course on how to deliver and sell these programmes and record information required to secure additional funding. Support will be ongoing, including refresher in-person training, remote help and advice, regional manager support visits, sales assistance and data collection guidance along with all supporting course materials. “With the huge impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had, there has never been a more important time for us to help young people through the challenges they face,” said Charlie Ford, head of community development at England Boxing. “As hubs of their local communities, boxing clubs are in a unique place to
help with this, and the expertise provided by Empire Fighting Chance will equip them with specific knowledge of how to do that. “We would urge clubs to take up this opportunity as, together, we can make a substantial and long-lasting difference by helping to shape what young people do out of the ring, as well as in it.” To express an interest in joining the initial group of clubs who will receive support from Empire Fighting Chance, do complete an expression of interest form that can be found on England Boxing’s website here: www.englandboxing. org/news_articles/free-club-access-toinnovative-programme-helping-youngpeople-with-behaviour-and-mental-health by Friday September 24. Selected
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BIT OF A HANDFUL: Harvey Dykes should not be underestimated
FIGHTING CHANCE: A new programme to tackle mental health and behavioural issues through the sport is on offer to clubs
‘I’M GOING TO SHOCK A LOT OF PEOPLE’ Matt Bozeat speaks to rising super-heavy Harvey Dykes MOULESCOMBE super-heavyweight Harvey Dykes knows what his opponents think when they set eyes on him. “People don’t know me,” said the 25-year-old southpaw. “I’m a bit under the radar and when they see me they think: ‘He’s just some small kid from Brighton’ and they underestimate me.” The 6ft 1ins Dykes is proving to be a handful. He boxes on his club’s show on Saturday, September 18, looking to extend his winning run to 13 fights. “The pandemic came along at the wrong time for me,” he shrugged. “I was on fire and the Elites were only four weeks away. “I had studied the other super-heavies on YouTube and I thought I had the style to beat them all. People were telling me: ‘This is your time.’” Dykes first came to prominence when winning the Development Class B title in Banbury in October, 2019, outboxing and outslugging the game Ike Ogbo (Border City) in the pick of the finals. Dykes built on that Development success by claiming a pair of good scalps in the space of a few hours. “I went to an Army round robin tournament,” he said, “and at around 12 noon on the Friday I beat Josh Woods. “And at seven o’clock on Saturday
night, I outpointed Jeamie Tshikeva.” Neither was a fight Dykes would have been fancied to win. Woods had reached the last eight of the Elites earlier that year and Tshikeva (White Hart Lane) is known as a seasoned hard man who has wins over current pros Josh Quailey and Ellis Machin. Proving that latter win was no fluke, Dykes headed to North London to fight Tshikeva again and had him on the floor on the way to a points win. The winning run reached 12 with a points victory over Rob Squires, a former Youth champion and Elite semi-finalist from Barnstaple. That was in February, 2020 and Dykes hasn’t boxed since. “I was on a downer for a while,” he said, “and I went back to my bad old ways... I put on a bit of weight... Motivation was hard for a while. “I was telling myself: ‘This is my time, I’m going to kick on’ and then Covid came along. “I’m focused again now. I’ve realised that boxing is the only thing I’m OK at. “Without boxing I’m just a fat kid from Brighton getting into trouble.” In his first season, Dykes reached the Development Class A final, losing narrowly to Delicious Orie, and his card currently shows 23 wins from 29 bouts. “I want to get a couple more in before the Elites,” he said. “That’s the target and then I’m looking to turn pro.” Dykes regards Courtney Bennett as the fighter to beat in the Elites, scheduled to get underway in November. The polished South Londoner has twice won the Great Britain championship and Dykes said: “I’ve studied him and I’m really hoping I get the chance to fight him. “I can move, have a fight and nobody trains harder than me. “I’m going to shock a lot of people.”
‘PEOPLE THINK I’M JUST SOME SMALL KID. THEY UNDERRATE ME’
clubs will be contacted in the week commencing October 4. “We are hugely excited by this new partnership with England Boxing,” Martin Bisp and Jamie Sanigar, co-founders of Empire Fighting Chance, stated. “We have innovated and developed our programmes for the past 15 years, transitioning from an amateur boxing club to a sustainable charity. “We are proud to now share our work with amateur boxing clubs across England, with a vision of improving the social impact that boxing can offer their communities. “Boxing can, and does, change lives, but now we have an opportunity to take it to the next level and improve the support to those young people most in need.”
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SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 43
YESTERDAY’S HEROES
Best Scottish heavyweight? OVERLOOKED: Abrew fought 75 times with 52 victories
It may have been Manuel Kid Abrew but there aren’t many to choose from
Miles Templeton Boxing historian
THINK it’s a surprise that Scotland has produced very few top-class heavyweights. From Wales we have had Tommy Farr, Joe Erskine, Dick Richardson and, more recently, David Pearce and Scott Gammer. Gary Cornish, from Inverness, challenged for the British title in 2017 but there weren’t many of his compatriots before him that were good enough to do so. Quite why this is the case is a mystery. Manuel Kid Abrew, from Edinburgh, came close. Pat Garrow, in a BN memorial to Abrew, which he penned back in 1990, a few weeks after the boxer’s death, described Abrew as “the greatest heavyweight ever to come out of Scotland” but that “there was never any surge of national joy from the ultraconservative Scots over his ring successes. If he had been a white man, Abrew’s first year as a professional in 1934 would have had the fans shouting with excitement.” Abrew certainly mixed with some of the best heavyweights around during his career, which lasted until 1947. He fought 75 times, with 52 victories, and during his first year he took part in 27 contests, losing only five, as he grew from a middleweight to a heavyweight. He came from Leith, a busy dockland area just a few miles to the north of Edinburgh
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ALL CHANGE AT LEBA Cheeseman a great choice for new Chairman
Simon Euan-Smith simonoldtimers @googlemail.com EBA correspondent
AFTER 18 months away, London EBA held its first monthly meeting since March 2020 on Sunday, September 5 at the Sports Bar and Grill in Old Street. And despite multiple travel problems (no Northern Line, several roads closed) there was a good turn-out, with the special LEBA atmosphere very much in evidence. And there were eight new members, which was wonderful. President Stephen Powell thanked everyone for keeping in touch during the difficult times, paid tribute to the committee members who had taken part in Zoom meetings, and thanked those who had worked hard to produce the monthly newsletter, Seconds Out. Charlie Wright announced that he was standing down as Chairman, and both Stephen Powell and Secretary/Treasurer Ray Caulfield thanked him for everything
44 l BOXING NEWS l SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
he has done. Ray Caulfield especially praised Charlie’s organisational skills, with events such as LEBA’s Golf Day and Annual Awards Lunch – he went on to say that he and Charlie had helped set up the Scottish Ex-Boxers’ Association, which has been extremely successful. Charlie has been made a Vice-President of LEBA, and will still be very much involved. New Chairman is Bob Cheeseman, an active and enthusiastic committee member who does a great job in keeping up with members. Bob readily acknowledged that Charlie will be a hard act to follow – but he’s the man to do it. He’s had to relinquish his post as Membership Secretary, a job he’s done brilliantly – taking over will be Kirsty Nisbet, regularly to be seen at meetings with her camera. It was good to see Ray Lee and Tommy Burling from Essex EBA, and a contingent
from Croydon – the latter planning to attend Croydon’s first meeting postCovid, set for Sunday, September 26 at The Orchard, Cherry Orchard Road. Among those introduced included John Conteh (a terrific supporter of the EBA movement), Michael Watson and Battersea centurion Ray Fallone, now living on the Isle of Wight. Making a welcome comeback this year will be the Annual Boxing Memorabilia Fayre, set for Saturday, October 9 at the Dick Collins Hall, Robert Street, London. There will be free parking all day, with a licensed bar and snacks – and many stalls selling a wide selection of boxing memorabilia including books, programmes and T-shirts. It’s always a good afternoon (it runs from 1.30 to 5.30) and well supported by EBA members (Bournemouth regularly take a stall) and ex-boxers generally. It’s run
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TOO GOOD: A loss to Tommy Farr in 1939 ended Abrew’s title dreams
city centre. Leith had a reputation for producing excellent boxers, with Johnny Hill, Alex Ireland and George McKenzie all hitting the fistic heights just a few years before Manuel came to the fore. Garrow stated that he thought that Abrew was the victim of the notorious colour bar, then enforced by the Board of Control. Tommy Martin from Deptford, who fought at the same time as Abrew, and at the same weight, is also often cited as suffering from the same fate. I am sure that due to the prejudices of the time that both Abrew and Martin were denied the opportunities for advancement that would automatically have been provided to a budding white boxer, but I also feel that neither of the two were quite good enough to win the British title even without the prejudice they were forced to endure. Despite this, Abrew certainly caused a stir amongst the heavyweight elite during the mid-1930s. There was an abundance of small-hall venues around Edinburgh where Abrew could cut his fistic teeth, including the Leith NSC on Mill Lane, the Marine Gardens in Portobello and the Music Hall in the city centre. The important contests took place at the Waverley Market, near Princes Street, and it was here, in 1935
that Abrew battered his fellow-townsman, Alec Bell, then the Scottish heavyweight champion, in 12 rounds in a bout that was full of ill-feeling. Abrew had upset the crowd by clobbering Bell immediately after they had shaken hands after Bell had got up from a slip. Despite the two being locals, it was Bell who was the crowd favourite, and the ending did little to win people over to Abrew’s side. He saw out the year with wins over Jack Pettifer and Alf Robinson, who were both just below championship class. In 1936 Manuel started to mix at the top level and, after defeating the American Roy Lazer, a fighter who had been in with Joe Louis, he was knocked out by the great South African, Ben Foord, in a humdinger at Leicester. He picked himself up from this setback and went on a long winning streak during 1937, which culminated in a contest with Len Harvey. Once again, Abrew came up short, losing in 14 hard rounds, and a loss to Tommy Farr in 1939 virtually put paid to his title aspirations. Manuel later settled in London, where he became a chef, and he was a great favourite at LEBA, which he attended with his brother Charlie, also a boxer, and both may still be remembered today by some of the older members.
HE THOUGHT ABREW WAS A VICTIM OF THE NOTORIOUS COLOUR BAR
LEGENDARY: The one and only Jack ‘Kid’ Berg
by LEBA committee member (and Home Counties EBA Treasurer) Chas Taylor and his wife, Kymberly – if you’re thinking of taking a stall, or would like some more information, contact Chas or Kymberly on 01707-654-677 or 07956-912-741. Looking at this month’s Seconds Out, the popular photo feature on LEBA members in action concentrates on LEBA Presidents and Vice-Presidents. There’s a great photo of former world juniorlightweight (now super-featherweight) champion Jack “Kid” Berg proudly showing his array of championship belts and trophies, and of James Cook MBE raising his European super-middleweight title belt aloft after successfully defending against West Ham favourite Mark Kaylor at York Hall in June 1991 (Cook won in six rounds). Others in action include former LEBA Chairman Micky O’Sullivan
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in his amateur days, representing England against Denmark at the Albert Hall, former British featherweight champion Sammy McCarthy and John Conteh, Maurice Hope, Charlie Magri and Alan Minter. This is a relatively new feature in the newsletter, and has really caught on. There’s another good one in the current Leeds EBA newsletter – a reproduction of a programme for a show at Leeds Town Hall in October 1948. Cost of the programme was six old pence (2 1/2p), promoters were Jack Green Promotions, and as well as the front over the Promoter’s Message is reproduced, which makes for interesting reading. In the main event, future Scottish welterweight champion Willie Whyte outscored Derby’s Tommy Jones over 10. EMAIL simonoldtimers@googlemail.com with your ex-boxer association news.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 l BOXING NEWS l 45
SIXTY SECONDS
TOM AITCHISON The proud Skelmersdale boxer tells John Dennen about the lessons he’s learned Photo: DAVE THOMPSON/MATCHROOM
Best friends in boxing: I’ve met a lot of good people in boxing. Especially in the amateurs, a lot of people I speak to now I fought when I was 12 or 13 and we still keep in touch now. Other sportsperson you would like to be: It would have to be a footie player because of the money. But darts players, they look like they have a good laugh don’t they? Last film/TV show you saw: I started watching The Sopranos recently, that’s good. Who would play you in a film of your life: Danny Dyer. Have you ever been starstruck: When I was 10 years I went to watch Hatton-Mayweather in Las Vegas. I ended up meeting loads of stars like De La Hoya and Marquez, Angelo Dundee. Last time you cried: Probably when my son was born a couple of months ago. Best advice received: One from my dad, he said just because you can’t see the sun behind the clouds doesn’t mean it isn’t still shining. Worst rumour about yourself: I don’t pay attention to gossip! Something not many people know about you: I’ve got a master’s degree in pharmacy.
FAST FACTS
When and why you started boxing: I first went to the boxing gym when I was 10. My dad has his own gym, Skelmersdale ABC, took me down to the gym and coached me. Favourite all-time fighter: Growing up I used to love watching Ricky Hatton, I’ve been to loads of his fights, went to his gym and watched him train, went to his weigh ins. Best fight you’ve seen: I’d day Morales-Barrera, any of their fights. I love watching them in fight week, it gets me in the mood in case I get into a tear up. Personal career highlight: Definitely representing England in the seniors, at senior level. That was an achievement I always wanted. That was my proudest so far. The vest is hung up in the amateur gym and I’m on that wall forever now. Toughest opponent: The last guy I boxed, Vitalii Maksymiv, he was from Ukraine, he was tough. He came to win, he came to take my head off. Them journeymen, they’re some of the toughest people about. Some of the punishment they take and they act like it’s nothing, it’s amazing. Best and worst attributes as a boxer: My best is probably my technical ability, I spend hours and hours doing drills in the gym. As for my worst one, I’ve got a few things I need to improve on. Training tip: The stuff you do outside the gym is just as important; sleep, your rest, your recovery, the food you eat. It all ties in together and that has a massive impact as well. Favourite meal/restaurant: Miller & Carter, a steak restaurant.
Age: 26 Instagram: @tomaitch_ Height: 5ft 10ins Nationality: English From: Skelmersdale Stance: Orthodox Record: 4-0 Division: Superlightweight Next: After boxing at the start of September, Aitchison will be looking to get out again in November.
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